SHORT PAPER The use of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland: A survey study of 2315 young adults Lukasz Matusiak | Marta Szepietowska | Piotr K. Krajewski | Rafal Bialynicki-Birula | Jacek C. Szepietowski Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland Correspondence Jacek C. Szepietowski, Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, Wroclaw Medical University, Chalubinskiego 1, 50-368 Wroclaw, Poland. Email: jacek.szepietowski@umed.wroc.pl Abstract Face masks wearing during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic became ubiquitous. The aim of our study was to assess the use of face masks among young adults during the current viral pandemic. The survey was based on specially created Google Forms and posted on numerous Facebook groups for young people in Poland. Seven days were considered as a recall period. A total of 2315 answers were obtained, 2307 were finally analysis, as eight questionnaires were removed because of data incompleteness. 60.4% of responders declared using the face masks. Those who reported an atopic predisposition wore face masks significantly (P = .007) more commonly (65.5% and 57.7%, respectively). Cloth masks (46.2%) appeared to be most popular ones, followed by surgical masks (39.2%), respirators (N95 and FFP) (13.3%), half-face elastomeric respirators (0.8%) and full-face respirators (0.4%). Females significantly more frequently (P = .0001) used cloth masks; respirators, half- face elastomeric respirators and full-face respirators were used more commonly by males (P < .0001, P = .001 and P = .001, respectively). 23.9% of responders who used single-use mask wore it again. Moreover, 73.6% participants declared mask decon- tamination; however, the procedures were not always appropriate. We suggest that our results may be of help in construction of general public education campaigns on the proper use of face masks. KEYWORDS COVID-19, face masks 1 | INTRODUCTION The use of face masks by general population became ubiquitous dur- ing the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, 1-3 although the scientific evidence on their prevention against viral infection spreading is scarce. 4,5 Due to the crisis of availability of professional face masks, including N95 masks, in some countries, non-medical masks, such as cloth masks, were recommended for general public. 1,3 The aim of this study was to assess the use of facial masks among young adults during the current viral pandemic. 2 | MATERIALS AND METHODS The study was based on the specially designed online survey. The questionnaire was developed based on the interviews of 10 students. All the relevant issues raised during the interviews were put up together and considered for the questionnaire. Then, the proposed questionnaire was assessed by two independent experts in such Lukasz Matusiak and Marta Szepietowska share co-first authorship for this study. Received: 23 June 2020 Accepted: 24 June 2020 DOI: 10.1111/dth.13909 Dermatologic Therapy. 2020;e13909. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/dth © 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC. 1 of 3 https://doi.org/10.1111/dth.13909