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Risk behavior in Norwegian blood donors
H Stigum1, V Bosnes, H Ørjasaeter
1Department of Epidemiology, National Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway. Heim.Stigum@Folkehelsa.no
Transfusion
|January 5, 2002
Summary
Norwegian blood donors exhibit lower risk behaviors for sexually transmitted diseases compared to the general population. However, some donors engage in deferrable behaviors not disclosed during donation screening.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Infectious Disease Prevention
Background:
- Blood banks implement rigorous screening for infectious agents and donor selection to ensure blood safety.
- Donor selection involves questionnaires and interviews to assess health and risk factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the risk behaviors associated with sexually transmitted diseases among Norwegian blood donors.
- To compare the sexual health risk profiles of blood donors with the general population.
Main Methods:
- Anonymous questionnaires were used to survey the sexual habits of 5,859 Norwegian blood donors.
- Data were compared with a previous survey of 10,000 randomly selected Norwegian adults.
- Response rates were 70.3% for donors and 48.4% for the general population sample.
Main Results:
- Blood donors generally reported lower engagement in risk behaviors for sexually transmitted diseases compared to the general population.
- Donors exhibited later sexual debut, fewer partners annually, and lower intercourse frequency.
- Despite lower overall risk, 1.5% of donors reported behaviors that would warrant deferral if disclosed during screening; these were more common in young, male donors with multiple partners.
Conclusions:
- Anonymous surveys can elicit sensitive information regarding risk behaviors not disclosed during standard blood donation interviews.
- Findings highlight the potential for undetected risk behaviors within the blood donor population, underscoring the importance of comprehensive screening strategies.