Knowledge and practice of blood donation among national youth corp members in orientation camp Sagamu Ogun State

Abstract

Objectives: Millions of lives are saved each year through blood transfusion, yet the availability, quality and the safety of blood transfusion is still a concern, particularly in the developing countries. The factors influencing blood donation vary and one's knowledge can influence this decision. To assess the factors influencing the knowledge and practice of blood donation among youth corp members in Ogun State, Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional study of randomly selected 600 youth corp members. Data was collected through self- administered pretested structured questionnaires and analyzed with SPSS version 21. Multiple regression analyses were used to identify the significant predictors of knowledge and practice of blood donation, with statistical significance at 95% confidence interval. Results: Knowledge of blood donation was adequate among 220 (41.5%) of the respondents, 89 (16.6%) had donated blood. Age younger than or equal to 24 years (AOR=2.040, 95% CI:1.404,2.966) and studying health science courses (AOR=10116, 95% CI:4,368,427) were significant determinants of knowledge. Male gender, marital status, religion, course of study, medium of awareness and good knowledge of blood donation were significant determinants of blood donation among corp members. The commonest reason for donation was replacement (48.3%) and most common reason for not donating was because of never been asked to donate (53.6%). One hundred and sixty-three (30.5 %) signified that they would donate if asked. Conclusion: Level of adequate knowledge about blood donation was low and those who had donated are in the minority. There is need to create more awareness on the importance of blood donation among the youth. Keywords: blood donation, knowledge, youth corp members, practice