Knowledge, Attitude And Practice Towards Voluntary Blood Donation Among Students Of Secondary School In Nakawa Division .

Abstract

Background: Human blood is an essential element of human life and there are no substitutes to blood as yet. Availability of safe blood and blood products is a critical component in improving health care. Blood will be safe if there is a nationally coordinated blood transfusion service, collection of blood only from voluntary non-remunerated donors, testing of blood for transfusion transmissible infection and transfusion of the right blood to the right patient thought he appropriate clinical use of blood. The need for blood is growing day by day as a result of advancement in the clinical medicine.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to determine the knowledge, attitude and practice towards voluntary blood donation among students of secondary school in Nakawa Division. Methodology: a cross sectional study design employing quantitative method of data collection was used. And the sample size of 384 students were involved in the study using simple random method and questionnaire.

Result: The results of the study are presented according to the study objectives. Results are presented in text and tables and figures. For most findings tables have been used in the presentation of the gathered information. Those who did not donate were 54.40% and those who donated were 45.6%

Conclusion: Generally the respondents had a positive attitude towards blood donation since majority fleet that it important to donate 52.6% the needle is painful were 51.8% and blood donated Godly were 51.3%, voluntarily donated blood 51.3%, unknown person 60.4% those who can tell their families about blood donation 56.8%, those who said small people can donate 58.9%, blood donation causes prolonged weakness 53.9%, no weight loss 51.3%, blood donation does not change ones religion 52.3%, small people fainting 59.6%. Therefore the attitude of the correspondence were positive about blood donation.

Recommendation: From the findings of the study, the researcher therefore recommend the following; the study found that the practice regarding blood donation is not satisfactory through the respondents have good knowledge and positive attitude toward blood donation, therefore there is need to sensitize schools by frequent visits, mass media education, counseling, posters, brochures to increase their involvement in blood donation practice.