Face mask use is a critical behavior to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2. We aimed to evaluate the association between social integration and face mask use during the COVID-19 pandemic in a random sample of households in Utsunomiya City, Greater Tokyo, Japan. Data included 645 adults in the Utsunomiya COVID-19 seROprevalence Neighborhood Association (U-CORONA) study, which was conducted after the first wave of the pandemic, between 14 June 2020 and 5 July 2020, in Utsunomiya City. Social integration before the pandemic was assessed by counting the number of social roles, based on the Cohen’s social network index. Face mask use before and during the pandemic was assessed by questionnaire, and participants were categorized into consistent mask users, new users, and current non-users. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between lower social integration score and face mask use. To account for possible differential non-response bias, non-response weights were used. Of the 645 participants, 172 (26.7%) were consistent mask users and 460 (71.3%) were new users, while 13 (2.0%) were current non-users. Lower social integration level was positively associated with non-users (RRR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.10, 2.82). Social integration may be important to promote face mask use.

In the face of unknown risks, including the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, we tend to have stigmatized perceptions. The current study aimed to examine the association of social engagements with the level of stigmatization of COVID-19 infection among the general population. The data of 429 participants of the Utsunomiya COVID-19 seroprevalence neighborhood association (U-CORONA) study, a population-based cohort study conducted in Utsunomiya City, Japan, were analyzed. Their stigmatized perception of people with COVID-19 infection was evaluated via a questionnaire for the situation if they or others in their community were to get infected. The association between social engagements (community social capital, social network diversity, and social network size) and stigmatization were analyzed by a multiple linear regression model with generalized estimating equations. Overall, females reported a higher stigmatized perception of people with COVID-19 than males. Lower education and depressive symptoms were also positively associated with higher stigmatization, while age, household income, and comorbidities were not. People with higher community social capital reported lower stigmatization (B = −0.69, 95% CI = −1.23 to −0.16), while social network diversity and social network size did not show an association with stigmatization. We found an association between community social capital and stigmatization, suggesting that enhancing their community social capital, but not social network diversity and size, has the potential to mitigate the levels of stigmatization.