Factors Associated With The Practice Of Voluntary Blood Donation Among Community Members Aged 15-50 Years In Mutundwe-Kiggaga Zone, Lubaga Division In Kampala

Abstract

Introduction: Blood transfusion is a fundamental component of healthcare. It plays a big role in saving millions of lives every year, both in routine cases and emergencies. Voluntary donation is the prime factor to a safe and bountiful supply of blood. Objectives: The aim of the study was to identify the factors associated with the practice of voluntary blood donation among community members aged 15-50 years in Mutundwe, Kiggaga zone from May to June, 2017. The objectives were; to determine the socio-cultural, individual factors and health system factors associated with the practice of voluntary blood donation. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study with 111 participants. Data collection was by use questionnaires. Stratified random sampling technique and simple random sampling were used to obtain the participants. Results: Approximately 33.3% of the respondents had ever donated blood with 41% having donated twice. Culture (P=0.015), myths and misconception (P=0.003), age of the respondents (P=0.019), fear of donating blood (P=0.001), availability of blood donation centers (P=0.003), accessibility to blood donation centers (P=0.012), and conduciveness of blood donation center (P=0.003) had significant association with practice of voluntary blood donation. Conclusion and recommendation: The study revealed that prevalence of practice of voluntary blood donation was 33.3%. Contributing factors in practice of blood donation include culture, myths, age, fear, availability, accessibility and conduciveness of blood donation centers. With regards to the findings of the study, it is recommended that more effort should be put on sensitizing younger residents and finding ways to overcome the perceived barriers to blood donation.