Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Jul;5(2):121-6.
doi: 10.4103/0973-6247.83235.

Attitude to blood donation in Saudi Arabia

Abdel Galil M Abdel Gader  1 , Abdel Moniem A Osman, Furgah H Al Gahtani, Mohamed N Farghali, Ali H Ramadan, Abdel Kareem M Al-Momen
Affiliations

Attitude to blood donation in Saudi Arabia

Abdel Galil M Abdel Gader et al. Asian J Transfus Sci. 2011 Jul.

Abstract

Background and objectives: The blood donor system in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia depends on a combination of voluntary and involuntary donors. The aim of this study is to explore the attitudes, beliefs and motivations of Saudis toward blood donation.

Materials and methods: The study was conducted at the Donor Centers at King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH) Blood Bank and King Saud University Students Health Center, Riyadh. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to donors (n = 517) and nondonors (n = 316), between February and June 2008. All were males.

Results: Ninety-nine percent of the respondents showed positive attitude toward blood donations and its importance for patients care, and object the importation of blood from abroad. Blood donors: Ninety-one percent agree that that blood donation is a religious obligation, 91% think no compensation should be given, 63% will accept a token gift, 34% do not object to donating six times/year and 67% did not mind coming themselves to the donor center to give blood. Nondonors: Forty-six percent were not asked to give blood and those who were asked mentioned fear (5%) and lack of time (16%) as their main deterrents. Reasons for rejection as donors include underweight and age (71%) and health reasons (19%). Seventy-five percent objected to money compensation but 69% will accept token gifts and 92% will donate if a relative/friend needs blood.

Conclusion: These results reflect an encouraging strong positive attitude toward blood donation. Further future planning with emphasis on educational/publicity programs and careful organization of donor recruitment campaigns could see the dream of total voluntary nonremunerated blood donations should not take long to be true.

Keywords: Attitude to blood donation; Saudi blood donors; donor compensation; donor motivation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

References

    1. Boulware LE, Ratner LE, Ness PM, Cooper LA, Campbell-Lee S, LaVeist TA, Powe NR. The contribution of sociodemographic, medical, and attitudinal factors to blood donation among the general public. Transfusion. 2002;42:669–78. - PubMed
    1. Chliaoutakis J, Trakas DJ, Socrataki F, Lemonidou C, Papaioannou D. Blood donor behavior in Greece: Implications for health policy. Soc Sci Med. 1994;38:1461–7. - PubMed
    1. Glynn SA, Williams AE, Nass CC, Bethel J, Kessler D, Scott EP, et al. Attitudes toward blood donation incentives in the United States: Implications for donor recruitment. Transfusion. 2003;43:7–16. - PubMed
    1. Hupfer ME, Taylor DW, Letwin JA. Understanding Canadian student motivations and beliefs about giving blood. Transfusion. 2005;45:149–61. - PubMed
    1. MacAskill SG, Hastings GB, McNeill RE, Gillon J. Scottish attitudes to blood donation and AIDS. BMJ. 1989;298:1012–4. - PMC - PubMed