PHYSIOLOGICAL AREA   

Medicina dello Sport 2022 September;75(3):371-84

DOI: 10.23736/S0025-7826.22.04164-3

Copyright © 2022 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English, Italian

Differential effects of the use of surgical or FFP2/N95 face masks on the performance of the 20-m multistage shuttle run test by adolescents

Marcos A. PORTELA ¹, Adriana LÓPEZ-RODRÍGUEZ ¹, Irimia MOLLINEDO-CARDALDA ², José M. CANCELA ^{1, 3} ✉

¹ Faculty of Education and Sports Science, University of Vigo, Pontevedra, Spain; ² Faculty of Physiotherapy, University of Vigo, Pontevedra, Spain; ³ Galicia Sur Health Research Institute (IIS Galicia Sur), Vigo, Spain

BACKGROUND: To evaluate physical performance in the 20m Shuttle run (20mSRT) aerobic power test by young adolescents wearing surgical and FFP2 face masks.
METHODS: A total of 203 school children (101 male, 14.12±1.38 years old; 102 female, 14.21±1.55 years old) volunteered for and completed the study. An assessment was carried out where the anthropometric, heart rate and cardiorespiratory capacity metrics were recorded throughout the 20mSRT Test, which the participants completed wearing both normal surgical masks and FFP2/N95 masks. The final sample was made up of 101 male (49.75%) and 102 female (50.25%) adolescents.
RESULTS: The results show that there are significant differences in the data collected for each of the two types of masks used in the aerobic power test, with a lower impact being recorded in the main variables when the surgical masks were worn - last stage finished (4.86±2.24 vs. 4.23±2.12; P=0.004), speed (10.43±1.12 vs. 10.12±1.06 P=0.004), MAS (11.83±1.55 vs. 11.42±1.42; P=0.005) - as well as differences in the distance covered with each mask (869.66±414.46 vs. 757.44±375.10; P=0.004).
CONCLUSIONS: The surgical mask affected internal workload to a lesser extent, though the results corresponding to HR after the test were also lower (156.23±22.89 bpm vs. 159.14±21.23 bpm). Wearing protective face masks has a negative impact on the physical performance of schoolchildren, with the use of FFP2 masks making it more difficult for them to engage in physical activity than it is with the use of surgical mask.

KEY WORDS: COVID-19; Physical functional performance; Masks; Exercise; Adolescent