Correlates of voluntary blood donation among people in a hill capital in India

Abstract

In an attempt to understand the problems and to improve voluntary blood donation at Gangtok, East Sikkim, this study was designed to assess the possible reasons for donating and not donating blood. Study Design: Population based cross-sectional study; Study Period: 01.01.2004 to 30.03.2004. (Three months activity); Setting: Gangtok, East Sikkim; Interventions: None; Study Population: 300 adults; Sampling Technique: Two-stage cluster sampling technique; Main Outcome Measures: socioeconomic and demographic variables of voluntary blood donation. Data Collection Procedure: Three hundred adults were selected from the adult population of Gangtok, East Sikkim. Then by interview technique the principal investigator Dr. Namgay Shenga collected the data using the pretested, close-ended structured schedule. In 300 adults, the study showed a significant association between attitude towards voluntary blood donation and education. There was a significant association between knowledge about blood donation and attitude towards voluntary blood donation, along with moral obligation, charity and duty parameters. Variables that were not significantly associated with voluntary blood donation were age, sex, religion, marital status, community status, occupation and per-capita monthly income. Several possible reasons have been put forward for not donating blood voluntarily, varying from problems of time, procedure and physical health. The finding of the study indicated that education gives birth to an ocean of difference between the positive attitudes of the general mass towards voluntary blood donation, in true life practice. The results suggested that reinforced steps should be taken to educate the population about voluntary blood donation. Key words: Attitude, variables, voluntary blood donation