The effect of use of different masks types in exercise on dyspnea and subjective perceptions in the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic is one of the most important problems affecting human health today and trying to find a solution. During the COVID-19 pandemic, people apply the means of protection methods specified by experts in order to continue their daily lives. One of these methods is the use of masks. There are a limited number of studies investigating different mask preferences and the effects of these masks during exercise. In this study, it was aimed to compare the effects of surgical mask and N95 mask on dyspnea and subjective perceptions during strength exercise. Thirty-two healthy male volunteers between the ages of 20 and 25 (20,28..1,76), who regularly going to fitness center three days a week, participated in the study. The comfortable/discomfort perception scale was used to determine the subjective perceptions of the participants in mask use, and the visual analog scale was used to determine the severity of dyspnea. Subjective perceptions in mask use and comparison of visual analog scale fatigue questioning according to mask types were determined with Mann Whitney U test, comparison of repeated measurements of visual analog scale fatigue questioning was determined with Friedman test, and Wilcoxon test was used to determine which group the difference originated from. As a result of the statistical analysis, it was determined that the visual analog scale fatigue query was statistically significantly higher in the N95 mask than in the use of surgical mask (p < 0.05). As a result, it can be said that the use of masks in exercise increases both subjective discomfort and dyspnea, and these problems are more common in the use of N95 masks. For this reason, it can be suggested that the use of masks in exercise is not correct and people who do not want to exercise without using a mask should prefer surgical masks.