Are school children ready to donate blood?

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Hematology
• Medical Education

Background:

• Voluntary non-remunerated blood donors are essential for safe blood supply.
• Despite improvements, Pakistan's blood transfusion services need optimization, particularly in recruiting young voluntary donors.
• Assessing awareness among senior school students regarding blood donation is vital for future donor recruitment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the awareness and attitudes of senior school students towards blood donation.
• To identify barriers preventing youth from becoming voluntary blood donors.
• To inform strategies for enhancing blood donation recruitment among adolescents.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted.
• 106 senior secondary school students from private institutions participated.
• Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires.

Main Results:

• 90% of students acknowledged blood's life-saving importance, yet 56.8% had not considered donating.
• Students demonstrated good knowledge of HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis B/C transmission risks via unsafe transfusions.
• Barriers included needle phobia, fear of disease, lack of information on donation sites, and distrust in blood banks; over half favored purchasing blood from professional donors.

Conclusions:

• Senior school students are currently unprepared to donate blood voluntarily.
• Addressing misconceptions and knowledge gaps about blood transfusions is necessary.
• Developing strategies to motivate and mobilize youth for voluntary blood donation is imperative.