WVU, CDC report week 4 results for 'MASCUP!'

The West Virginia University School of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a slight increase in the number of people who wore masks and wore them correctly during the fourth week of 'MASCUP!', an ongoing mask observation study

The purpose of the study is to estimate the percentage of people within the WVU community wearing masks correctly and, ultimately, increase the proportion of people who use masks correctly. WVU is one of 60 colleges and universities across the country participating in MASCUP!, which stands for Mask Adherence Surveillance at Colleges and Universities Project. Observing mask use can assist universities with determining the adherence among students, faculty and staff to inform public health decision-making.

Following are the results from the fourth week (March 8-14) of observations, during which *387 people were observed. Observations are being conducted by eight CDC-trained students from the School of Public Health.

*Of those observed:

  • 370 (95.6 percent) wore masks; 
  • 16 (4.1 percent) did not wear masks;
  • 1 (0.3 percent) was unknown; and  
  • 334 (90.3 percent) of those wearing masks wore them correctly.

Additionally, observers noted the most common mask type was a cloth mask (*N = 214 (57.8 percent)). 

To see how this compares to data from the first three weeks, refer to Mask Observation Results

The School of Public Health and University will continue to share the results on a weekly basis. If you would like to receive the weekly updates directly, please contact the School of Public Health Marketing and Communications Office.

Related resources: 

*Update: The observation totals for week four were updated on March 26 to reflect a correction of data entry issues. 

Pictured above: A student pays attention in the journalism 493B Public Affairs Show class on the first day of classes on August 26, 2020 (WVU Photo/Chris Young). 


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CONTACT: Nikky Luna, Director of Marketing and Communications
WVU School of Public Health
304.293.1699