Khairul Hasni, Nurul Amalina and Ismail, Rohaida and Muhamad Robat, Rosnawati and Mohamad, Nadia and Suib, Fatin Amirah and Pahrol, Muhammad Alfatih and Mahmud, Haalah and Osman, Baderin and Lim, Yin Cheng and Seman, Zamtira and Shaharudin, Rafiza (2023) The effect of N95 designs on respirator fit and its associations with gender and facial dimensions. PLoS ONE, 18 (11). ISSN 1932-6203, DOI https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0288105.
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
This study examined the association of various brands of NIOSH-certified N95 filtering face-piece respirators (FFR) fit with facial dimensions and gender. One hundred and thirty-five participants (77 females and 58 males) were recruited from the previous facial anthropometry study among Malaysians in 2020. Quantitative respirator fit testing of six FFR were performed using the TSI Portacount Pro+ 8038 which comprised of four exercises (bending over, talking, up-down head movement, and side to side head movement). An overall fit factor (FF) of >= 100 was considered a pass for each FFR. Analysis was done using T-test, Pearson's correlations, and generalised linear regression. The passing rates for the six FFR were 36.3% (Cup B), 50.4% (Trifold A), 54.1% (Duckbill A), 57.0% (Cup A), 74.1% (Trifold B), and 83.7% (Duckbill B). Both Duckbill B and Trifold B had the highest passing rates for both genders. However, certain FFR models (Cup B, Trifold A, Trifold B, and Duckbill A) fit better for participants with large facial size who were mostly males, while others (Cup A and Duckbill B) specifically fit better for those with small facial size, who were mostly females. This study showed significant positive effect of nose protrusion, nasal root and subnasale-sellion and the negative effect of menton-sellion, bigonial breadth and nose breadth on fit factors of various FFR. The results of this study emphasized the importance of choosing and designing FFR based on local anthropometry data, with careful consideration on the dimensions that affect the respirator fit. Since N95 are commonly used in the healthcare settings to prevent airborne transmission, the practice of respirator fit testing and selecting N95 with high passing rates for healthcare workers need to be emphasized.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Funders: | UNSPECIFIED |
| Subjects: | R Medicine > R Medicine (General) |
| Divisions: | Faculty of Medicine > Social & Preventive Medicine |
| Depositing User: | Ms. Juhaida Abd Rahim |
| Date Deposited: | 09 Sep 2025 03:36 |
| Last Modified: | 09 Sep 2025 03:36 |
| URI: | http://eprints.um.edu.my/id/eprint/50587 |
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