Журнал болезней крови и переливания крови

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Voluntary Blood Donation Barriers and Motivational Factors among the Copperbelt University Students in Kitwe, Zambia

Whyson Mwale*

Introduction: Blood transfusion is an important component of the health care system of every country. Patients with medical conditions like anemia, severe post-partum hemorrhage and acute blood loss in surgery and road accidents require this process for their lives. Blood can’t be manufactured hence blood donation remains the only way in which blood banks in medical facilities can acquire blood for the patients who need blood transfusions. This can only be achieved when more people donate blood voluntarily. Ensuring that more people donate blood voluntarily, blood donors’ motivators and barriers to blood donation must be understood equally important is to note the knowledge levels of the donors about blood donation.

Objectives: This study aims at assessing potential barriers and motivational factors towards blood donation among the copperbelt university students in Kitwe.

Methodology: A descriptive cross section study was conducted university students at the copperbelt university in Kitwe. A random sampling technique was used to sample out 354 participants in this study. Data was collected using well-structured questionnaires that were administered to participants by the researcher. The computer software SPSS version 26.0 was used for data management during data entry and analysis.

Expected outcomes include proportions of university students who have donated blood at least once. The study established challenges faced by blood donors in form of barriers and also motivational factors for blood donation among those who have donated at least once and those intending to donate once an opportunity comes up. This is an important study because the findings will be useful in developing strategies in scaling up blood donations among university students in Zambia.

Results: The study comprised of 354 participants of which 196 (57.3%) were males and 146 (42.7%) were females. Age of participants, 18-20 years (23.1%), 21-25 years (73.1%) and >=26 (3.8%). Out of the 354 participants, only 66 (19.3%) had donated blood before while majority 276 (80.7%) of them had not donated blood before. More than three-quarters 53 (80.3%) of those who had donated before were males. There was significant relationship between donation status and gender equally with knowledge levels.

The study showed that the majority of the participants had good knowledge concerning blood donation and the majority of those who had donated blood before were knowledgeable about blood donation.