Why Don't People Give Blood



Why Don't People Give Blood

Why they donate and don't donate blood

Shaz et.al (2009) argues that in community wide blood donation programs, African Americans are highly underrepresented. The authors recommend that to increase participation of African Americans, it is necessary to access the relevant barriers and other motivational factors associated with blood donation.

Shaz et.al asserts that motivational factors that enhance participation in blood donation programs are to be construed in blood donation programs. These motivational factors are:

Increase in self esteem (Gillespie & Hillyear, 2002);

Identifying core needs to replace blood;

A feeling to oblige socially (Oakley & Ashton, 1997);

Enhancing need awareness of blood donation;

Altruism (Shaz et.al, 2009)

Given these factors, it is safe to assert that non facilitation of these factors in blood donation programs are some of the reasons why participation is low (Arch. Path. Lab Med., 2009). Moreover, African Americans are also found to donate if they are promised to receive a health screen, or tested for an infectious agent or if they are offered gift items (Shaz et.al, 2009).

The authors, in their descriptive study also studied the primary barriers to blood donation. These include apathy, not being asked, being too busy, perceived medical disqualification, inconvenience and fear towards donating blood (Mathew et.al, 2007; Shaz & Hillyer, 2010). The study also noticed that in comparison to white population, the African Americans are more than likely to quote poor staffing skills as another factor that averse them from donating blood. Additionally, the time factor and fear of needles are other cited causes of not donating blood (Shaz et.al, 2009).

Pentecost & Andrews (2010) present a comparative study of non students and students for donating blood. The study analysed the psycho social factors that motivate blood donation among different races and communities. These factors include the attitudes and motivations ...