Voluntary blood donation among female health care university students in Saudi Arabia, knowledge and status

Abstract

Context: Blood donation is an essential lifesaving procedure. There is a continuous effort to supply the high demand in hospitals. Aims: To assess the current status, knowledge, and attitudes of female health care students in King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS) regarding blood donation. Settings and Design: A cross-sectional study was done with students in the female campus of KSAU-HS in Riyadh. Methods and Material: The sample was categorized based on the college and year of study. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed during the first semester of the 2018–2019 academic year to an estimated 20%–25% of students per batch. Statistical analysis used: Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 22 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL). Results: A total of 302 students completed the questionnaire with a median age of 21 years and a range of 18–30 years. Only 14.6% of the sample previously donated blood, with half of this group donating more than once. Just less than half (48.7%, n = 147) have been exposed previously to a university campaign related to blood donation. The majority (74.5%, n = 225) knew their blood type, small proportions (16.6%, n = 50) and (10.9%, n = 33) reported knowing family members or friends requiring blood products. More than half (57.6%) of the students admitted not having sufficient knowledge regarding blood donation, and the majority (75.1%) were not aware of the quantity of blood collected during a donation. Two-thirds, 31.4% and 32.1% agree and strongly agree, respectively, that blood donation is a duty that every individual should perform. Just more than half (53%) of the students strongly agreed that they are motivated to donate blood on moral or religious grounds. Conclusion: The proportion of prior blood donation in the sample was low. This is due, in part, to inadequate knowledge about the donation process. Given that many students felt motivated to donate, it is possible that raising awareness through educational interventions could increase donations in female health care students.

Blood donation among women in Nigeria: Motivators, barriers and appealing incentives

“…of the participants in this study, this is in keeping with the study among female students in Saudi Arabia [18]. Religious organizations usually make these appeals when one of their members is in need of blood with a good response, especially from men.…”

“…However, these studies were predominantly among blood donors who are dominated by men. Some studies conducted among female participants outside Nigeria have identified altruism, the feeling of responsibility, positive effect on health and moral or religious obligation as motivators [17,18], while fear of anaemia or weakness and dizziness were some barriers identified [17]. Very little is known about female blood donors and the inherent factors that could promote or deter them from blood donation in Nigeria.…”

Military Blood Service in Poland

“…[14][15][16][17] Fear of seeing own blood, fear of the procedure itself and negative experiences from previous, first-time blood donation or lack of appropriate "incentives", eg, financial, may be an additional barrier for young people. [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] Interestingly, women, who are more altruistic than men and more motivated to donate blood, 19 accounted for only 1/4-1/3 of all donors in our analysis (Table 3). On the other hand, a similar proportion of female blood donors was also observed in other countries.…”

Blood donation in different regions of Saudi Arabia: acceptance and rejection

“…Blood donation has become a vital part of any health care institution since it cannot be generated artificially and can only be received from human resources [1,2]. In surgical operations, trauma, Hematological illnesses, and pregnancy-related issues, the blood given might be utilized [3]. There's no way to keep blood indefinitely, and there's no way to make it synthetically.…”

“…There was no longer any need for Saudi Arabian hospitals to import foreign-blooded donors after 1981. This growing need for blood cannot be met with the current supply of donors [3].…”