Wearing mouth and nose protection masks in class does not affect the performance and receptivity of children and young people.
This is the result of a new study by the University Children's Hospital Bochum with 133 students between the ages of eleven and fourteen from the Berger Feld Comprehensive School in Gelsenkirchen.
The study, published by the journal Children, took place in rooms with a good ventilation system, which were also equipped with an air filter. While in the first two lessons all participating boys and girls wore either an FFP2 mask or a surgical mask, the groups were divided for the following two hours and taught in separate rooms. Now 65 students wore a mask, 68 did not. All children and young people then took part in a computer-based performance test with a standardized measurement method. With regard to wearing a mask, the scientists did not register any noticeable deviations in any of the three grades.
So far, nutritional issues have been in the foreground when it comes to cognitive performance, said clinic director Thomas Lücke.
"The mask requirement in the pandemic also presents us with completely new challenges in this regard." Since the beginning of the corona pandemic, many parents have expressed concern about wearing masks in class, reported Maike Selter-Beer, head of the Gelsenkirchen comprehensive school.
The result of the study is very helpful for her and her colleagues.
"It shows that the fears are unfounded."