Study on Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Blood Donation among College Students in Bhavnagar, Gujarat, India

Abstract

Introduction: World Health Organization (WHO) advocates that ideally 3-5% of the population should donate blood per year for maintaining a country’s demand. According to WHO’s integral strategy for safe transfusion, Youths who are healthy, enthusiastic and approachable as a group, if recruited young may become future donors and motivators? Aim & Objectives: To assess the level of KAP regarding blood donation in college students in Bhavnagar, Gujarat, India. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 268 students of 18-25 years of age from different colleges of Bhavnagar. Self-administered Questionnaires was used to collect data from cases selected by cluster sampling. Results: Out of total 268 students, female students were more numbered than males. Only 12.32% had donated blood previously, most of them were voluntary donors. The most common reason for no donation was the lack of arousal of situation for donation. Most of them were aware about the criteria for age, weight, Hb needed for donation. But majority lack knowledge about the amount of blood being drawn while donation. Conclusion: Major obstacle for voluntary blood donors was the lack of arousal of situation for donation. To overcome that and to improve donation rates, Students must be educated and counseled properly. By increasing the awareness about voluntary donation, a blood bank can improve the number of voluntary donors.