Voluntary blood donation among female health care university students in Saudi Arabia, knowledge and status

Context: Blood donation is an essential lifesaving procedure. There is a continuous effort to supply the high demand in hospitals. Aims: To assess the current status, knowledge, and attitudes of female health care students in King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS) regarding blood donation. Settings and Design: A cross-sectional study was done with students in the female campus of KSAU-HS in Riyadh. Methods and Material: The sample was categorized based on the college and year of study. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed during the first semester of the 2018-2019 academic year to an estimated 20%-25% of students per batch. Statistical analysis used: Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 22 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL). Results: A total of 302 students completed the questionnaire with a median age of 21 years and a range of 18-30 years. Only 14.6% of the sample previously donated blood, with half of this group donating more than once. Just less than half (48.7%, n = 147) have been exposed previously to a university campaign related to blood donation. The majority (74.5%, n = 225) knew their blood type, small proportions (16.6%, n = 50) and (10.9%, n = 33) reported knowing family members or friends requiring blood products. More than half (57.6%) of the students admitted not having sufficient knowledge regarding blood donation, and the majority (75.1%) were not aware of the quantity of blood collected during a donation. Two-thirds, 31.4% and 32.1% agree and strongly agree, respectively, that blood donation is a duty that every individual should perform. Just more than half (53%) of the students strongly agreed that they are motivated to donate blood on moral or religious grounds. Conclusion: The proportion of prior blood donation in the sample was low. This is due, in part, to inadequate knowledge about the donation process. Given that many students felt motivated to donate, it is possible that raising awareness through educational interventions could increase donations in female health care students.