Whole‐blood and plasma donor beliefs about the health impacts of donation and effect on donation frequency: A survey study

BACKGROUND: Beliefs about how donation affects health and the impact of these on donor behavior are under-researched. We aimed to determine whether Australian donors consider the impact of blood donation on their health, identify these beliefs, and examine the influence of these on donation frequency. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: We surveyed 790 active whole-blood and 749 active plasma donors, stratifying donors into novice and established. Negative binomial regression analyses were used to determine which health beliefs are associated with 12-month donation frequency. RESULTS: Half of respondents (52.5%) had thought about the impact of donating blood on their physical health while a third (30.9%) had thought about mental health impacts. On a 5-point scale, the most endorsed mental health belief was Feeling good from the knowledge that you've helped others (4.71 ± 0.76) and the highest endorsed physical health belief was Refreshing of blood (2.00 ± 1.39). Greater endorsement of Feeling lightheaded, dizzy or nauseous (incidence rate ratio [IRR]: 0.938, 95% CI: 0.89-0.99), Feeling anxious or scared (IRR: 0.934, 95% CI: 0.88-0.99), and Becoming dehydrated (IRR: 0.948, 95% CI: 0.91-0.99) were significantly associated with reduced donation frequency while greater endorsement of Feeling happier (IRR: 1.031, 95% CI: 1.00-1.06) was significantly associated with increased donation frequency. DISCUSSION: Many donors consider the relationship between donation and their physical health, although fewer consider the relationship with mental well-being. Mental health impacts were highly endorsed, while endorsement of physical health impacts was low. Findings indicate a need to investigate how donors interpret health-related information provided throughout the donation process.