Abstract

Background:Public awareness regarding blood donation during life and after death is poor in many developing and developed countries. The prevalence of blood donation varies according to the demographics of the people. The objectives of this study were to assess the knowledge, attitude, practice, and barriers regarding blood donation among the general population in Kuwait.
Methods:A cross-sectional study of 915 people was conducted between March and April 2016. Data were collected by using a survey questionnaire among the general people working in five randomly selected ministries including the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Education, and Ministry of Social Affair. An ethical approval for the study was obtained from the Ethics Committee of Faculty of Medicine in Kuwait University and from the ministries.
Results:Overall, about 37% the study population ever donated blood. The proportion of life-time donors was significantly higher among males than females (57.9% vs. 25.2%, respectively, p< 0.001). However, the knowledge scores about blood donation were significantly higher among females (p= 0.035). Both knowledge scores and positive scores of attitude increased with increasing age and with higher educational levels. Of the barriers, women had significantly more fear of pain (p<0.001) and fear of seeing blood (p= 0.002) compared to men. In multivariate analysis, male gender, middle and older age, knowledge score, fear of getting new infection, and fear of anemia remained significant predictors of blood donation after controlling for the confounders.
Conclusion:The study showed a low rate of blood donation in Kuwait. More community outreach programs such as blood donation campaigns should be undertaken to improve the situation, and to alleviate people’s perception about the barriers.