The proper use of face mask during COVID-19 pandemic in urban community

Background: We need to know the understanding and behavior of the people for the prevention of coronavirus transmission. The breakthrough method is needed to be able to evaluate health problems among the society, provide solutions and simultaneously evaluate the impact of changes on society. This study aimed to find the problems that arise in wearing face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, conduct educational interventions, and evaluate the results. Methods: We started this study by distributing surveys to urban communities that are relatively mobile and require the use of face masks in their activities. To evaluate the changes in knowledge and behavior of respondents that lead to improvement, we did a pre-test and a post-test and evaluate the gain of the test score. Results: 266 respondents filled out the online survey. There are 79.3 % of respondents wear reusable masks, 24.8 % choose the wrong mask material. There are still 2.8 % of respondents who wear their masks continuously and never change them and 19.5 % of respondents did not wash their reusable masks before putting them back on. some still dispose of mask waste mixed with household waste. the results of the test evaluation showed an increase in gain before and after providing educational materials online. Conclusion: The public health intervention provided via online education shows the better changes, both in knowledge or behavior from respondents who represent the urban communities.