Abstract
The chronic worldwide shortage of blood for transfusions has become an important public health problem, especially in developing countries. The aim of the current study was to assess the practice of voluntary unpaid blood donation (VUBD) among college students in the past 5 years (2013–2017). The blood donation data of college students from 41 universities were collected. Change trends in the rate of blood donation among college students from 2013 to 2017 were examined. A continuous increasing trend in the rate of VUBD was observed over the past 5 years, from 3.36% in 2013 to 6.56% in 2017 (p < .01). In conclusion, a positive practice toward VUBD was observed among college students in Shandong, China. It is necessary to improve the recruitment strategies, establishing a long-term mechanism and promoting the sustainable development of VUBD.
Keywords
Blood donation is the only way of acquiring blood to meet clinical emergency requirements. The demand for blood and blood products has significantly increased as a result of development in medical sciences, surgical procedures, population growth, and life expectancy (Currie, Patel, McEwan, & Dixon, 2004; Greinacher, Fendrich, Alpen, & Hoffmann, 2007). Therefore, providing safe and adequate blood should be an integral part of every country’s national health-care policy and infrastructure. Previous studies have shown that, compared to general population, college students have a higher level of knowledge and a more positive attitude toward blood donation, and suggested that they are an ideal target group for blood donor programs (Baig et al., 2013; Hosain, Anisuzzaman, & Begum, 1997; Mwaba & Keikelame, 1995; Salaudeen & Odeh, 2011; Wiwanitkit, 2002). The aim of the current study was to assess the status of voluntary unpaid blood donation (VUBD) among college students and change trends in the past 5 years (2013–2017).
Subjects and Method
Shandong Blood Center shoulders the responsibility of blood supply for the large hospitals in Jinan, the provincial capital of Shandong Province. A total of 41 universities are the target group for recruitment of blood donors. The blood donation data of college students from 41 universities were collected from the management system of blood donation of Shandong Blood Center. The number of enrolled students was obtained from the department of student affairs at universities (involving more than 2 million students). Rate of blood donation was calculated as the number of blood donors during the current year divided by the number of enrolled students in this year. Change trends in the rate of blood donation among college students from 2013 to 2017 were examined.
Results
The practice toward VUBD among college students in different years is shown in Table 1. A continuous increasing trend in the rate of VUBD was observed over the past 5 years, from 3.36% in 2013 to 6.56% in 2017 (p < .01). The volume of VUBD had a rapid increase from 2013 to 2016 and decrease slightly in 2017 because the per capita volume of VUBD decreased from 1.73 units in 2016 to 1.63 units in 2017 (in practice, donors can choose a donation of 200 or 400 ml each time). In 2013, the volume of VUBD came from college students accounted for 17.95% of the total collection of Shandong Blood Center; gratifyingly, this figure has increased to 29.82% in 2017, by 12 percentage points.
The Rate and Volume of VUBD Among College Students, 2013–2017.
Note. Volume of VUBD, 1 unit = 200 ml. VUBD = voluntary unpaid blood donation.
Discussion
A positive practice toward VUBD was observed among college students in Shandong, China. It may be attributed to our effective procedures for the recruiting donors, such as we regularly sent mobile blood-collecting vehicles into the campus, which provide a convenient and comfortable condition for the blood donors. As a result, students could donate blood conveniently at their university campus, and they do not have to take time out of their busy schedule. In addition, the extensive propaganda (via professional lecture, posters, television, broadcast, Internet media, and organizing students to visit the blood center) also play an important role in promoting VUBD among college students.
It is nice to see that college students had a positive practice toward VUBD; about 30% of the current blood collections came from college students. However, another concern is that the excessive reliance on enrolled students may result in a seasonal blood shortage during the summer holiday (July and August) and spring festival (January or February) in China. It is necessary to recruit adequate numbers of donors from other populations to relieve the seasonal blood shortage at this time of year.
Footnotes
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to Hui-ping Yang, Jing-hua Han, Ping Zhu, and Chen Liang for their help in the process of collecting data. We also appreciate the college students who had donated blood to help others.
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.