Willingness and Barriers to Voluntary Blood Donation: Findings From Cross-Sectional Study in Cameroon

Voluntary blood donation remains a major public health challenge in many low- and middle-income countries. In Cameroon, only 35% of the annual blood requirement is met despite ongoing government efforts to improve donation rates. This study assessed willingness to donate blood and the key barriers to donation among community members in Yaoundé, capital city of Cameroon.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted from January to July 2023 in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Using multistage cluster sampling, 404 adults completed a pretested and validated questionnaire. Data were analyzed using R Statistics (version 4.4.2), and the Akaike Information Criterion was applied to select the best model. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Informed consent was obtained from all participants and the study was approved by the institutional review board of the University of Buea.

Although 74.8% of participants (95% CI: 70.2-78.9%) expressed willingness to donate blood, only 36.1% (95% CI: 31.6-41.0%) had previously donated. The most cited barrier was the belief that hospitals sell donated blood (81.4%). Religious prohibitions were reported by 4.2% of respondents. Motivations for donation included saving lives in emergencies (56%) and helping relatives (15%). Barriers included concerns about donor health (46%), negative experiences with health-care staff (19%), lack of motivation (15%), and fear of adverse events (12%). On multivariable logistic regression analysis, belief that hospitals sell blood was significantly associated with reduced likelihood of previous donation (odds ratio [OR], 5.69; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.94 - 16.46; P = 0.001). Women were more likely to express unwillingness to donate blood compared to men (OR, 1.84; 95% CI: 1.02 -3.31; P = 0.042). Religious constraints were associated with higher unwillingness to donate (OR, 2.74; 95% CI: 1.004-7.49; P = 0.049), and increasing age was positively associated with unwillingness to donate blood (OR, 1.05; 95% CI: 1.02 - 1.09, P = 0.002 < 0.001).

A substantial gap persists between expressed willingness and actual blood donation in Yaoundé, largely driven by systemic mistrust and cultural-religious barriers. Tailored interventions-such as community education, transparent blood management practices, and engagement with faith-based organizations-are critical to increasing voluntary blood donation rates and addressing Cameroon's ongoing blood supply shortage.