Factors Associated with Blood Donation Practice among College Students in Southwest Ethiopia

Blood transfusion is a crucial element of health care. It contributes to saving millions of lives both in routine and emergencies each year. However, millions of patients do not have timely access to this vital resource in Low-income Countries (LICs), including Ethiopia. Eventhough some shreds of evidence are available at the national level, specific studies regarding blood donation practice among college students are limited. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the magnitude and factors associated with blood donation practice among college students in southwest Ethiopia.

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 429 Mizan-Aman health science college students from June 01 to 15, 2019. The data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. The data were entered and cleaned using EPI-Data version 4.2.0.0, then analyzed using SPSS version 20 software.

Of the 394 participants, the practice of blood donation was 35.5% (140), 95% CI (30.8%-40.2%). Of the 140 participants, 72 (51.4%) and 120 (85.7%) of the respondents were one-time donors and voluntary blood donors, respectively. The factors associated with the practice blood donation were aged ≥ 23 years, former urban residence, having a mother with primary school completed, having good knowledge, and a positive attitude toward blood donation.

The practice of blood donation was not adequate among study populations. Therefore, the consideration of encouragement campaigns and educational sessions within the campus will play paramount importance in the increment of blood donation practice.