<![CDATA[Abstract Background: Cyclists are often exposed to elevated air pollution, and face masks have been suggested as a means to reduce inhalation of harmful pollutants. However, concerns persist that surgical mask use during cycling may reduce oxygen saturation. Aim: This study aimed to examine the effect of wearing a surgical mask on oxygen saturation during cycling among healthy adults. Methods: This quasi-experimental study used a one-group pretest–posttest design with convenience sampling and included 42 participants who cycled while wearing a surgical mask. Oxygen saturation was measured before and after cycling, and intervention effects were analyzed using a linear mixed model with Bonferroni adjustment to control for participant characteristics. Results: Mean oxygen saturation decreased slightly from 96.7% (SD = 1.4) before cycling to 96.1% (SD = 2.2) after cycling, but the difference was not statistically significant (p = .149). A linear mixed-effects analysis with a Bonferroni adjustment confirmed that neither time nor participant characteristics had a significant effect on oxygen saturation. Conclusions: Wearing a surgical mask while cycling did not cause a significant reduction in oxygen saturation among healthy individuals, suggesting that its use during moderate-intensity cycling is physiologically safe.]]>
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