In view of the substantial burden on family caregivers coupled with lack of adequate number of cancer hospitals, there is a public-health imperative to recognize this important group. All levels of health-staff in cancer hospitals in developing countries should be sensitized to the various burdens faced by family caregivers.

Introduction:The demand and requirement for blood exceeds the supply from blood donations. There is a need to retain the donors as well as increase the source-pool by motivating the non-donors. Objectives: To study the blood donation intention and current status among college students in a region of Delhi, and the associated motivating and barrier factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted in four colleges in east Delhi. The participants were 674 adolescent students selected by cluster sampling, interviewed using a semi-openended, self-administered questionnaire. Results: The sample consisted of 239 (35.5 % ) males and 435 (64.5 % ) female students, aged 17 -25 years. Of the students, 86 (12.8 % ) were blood donors. Most donors (60; 69.8 % ) had donated once, 11 (12.8 % ) twice, and 15 (17.4 % ) on more than two occasions. Majority of the non-donors (506; 86.1 % ) stated that they would like to donate blood in the future. The most common reason mentioned for not having donated blood so far was ' never been asked to donate ' . The potential motivating factors mentioned were ' more information ' (40.5 % ) and ' convenient location and time ' (27.9 % ). The reasons mentioned as barrier factors included ' fear of HIV infection ' (27.0 % ) and ' fear of damage to health ' (22.6 % ). There was a signifi cant gap between the proportions of those with positive intention and those who had actually donated. Conclusions: Many potential barriers to donation were mentioned by the non-donors, which need to be addressed by the policy makers. There is a need for special focus on the college student population for voluntary blood donation.