JIDAM
"An Official Journal of IDA - Madras
Branch" ©2019.
Available online
Background: Adolescents are a potential source of great interest not only for the blood they could supply, but also on the spread of healthy lifestyles and contribute to the development of a mature, responsible civic culture. Blood donation is remarkably safe medical procedure. However, attitudes, beliefs, and level of knowledge may affect an individual's choice on blood donation.
Materials and Methods: A cross sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among 1399 college students to assess their knowledge, motivations and barriers of blood donation. A pilot study was conducted to validate the questionnaire and to get the required sample size. A specially designed questionnaire consisting of 17 close ended questions divided into two sections was used for data collection by stratified random sampling method. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) software version 21.0
Results: The results showed that only 21% of the participants have donated blood in the past. The main reason for not donating blood was afraid of a needle (43%) which was followed by fear of blood (31%). Only 7.9% of the study participants were willing for blood donation in the future, whereas 48% responded that they will donate blood only if required by a family member. These results were found to be statistically significant.
Conclusion: The study concluded that most of the participants have poor knowledge and practice regarding blood donation. More educational programs to increase the awareness in specific targeted populations and also to focus on some motivational factors are recommended.
Knowledge, blood donation, awareness
JIDAM/Volume:6/Issue:1/Pages1-8/Jan-Mar 2019