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. 2013 Jun;53(6):1291-301.
doi: 10.1111/j.1537-2995.2012.03887.x. Epub 2012 Sep 24.

Motivation and social capital among prospective blood donors in three large blood centers in Brazil

Thelma T Gonçalez  1 , Claudia Di Lorenzo Oliveira, Anna Barbara F Carneiro-Proietti, Elizabeth C Moreno, Carolina Miranda, Nina Larsen, David Wright, Silvana Leão, Paula Loureiro, Cesar de Almeida-Neto, Maria-Inês Lopes, Fernando A Proietti, Brian Custer, Ester Sabino; NHLBI Retrovirus Epidemiology Donor Study-II (REDS-II), International Component
Collaborators, Affiliations

Motivation and social capital among prospective blood donors in three large blood centers in Brazil

Thelma T Gonçalez et al. Transfusion. 2013 Jun.

Abstract

Background: Studies analyzing motivation factors that lead to blood donation have found altruism to be the primary motivation factor; however, social capital has not been analyzed in this context. Our study examines the association between motivation factors (altruism, self-interest, and response to direct appeal) and social capital (cognitive and structural) across three large blood centers in Brazil.

Study design and methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 7635 donor candidates from October 15 through November 20, 2009. Participants completed self-administered questionnaires on demographics, previous blood donation, human immunodeficiency virus testing and knowledge, social capital, and donor motivations. Enrollment was determined before the donor screening process.

Results: Among participants, 43.5 and 41.7% expressed high levels of altruism and response to direct appeal, respectively, while only 26.9% expressed high levels of self-interest. More high self-interest was observed at Hemope-Recife (41.7%). Of participants, 37.4% expressed high levels of cognitive social capital while 19.2% expressed high levels of structural social capital. More high cognitive and structural social capital was observed at Hemope-Recife (47.3 and 21.3%, respectively). High cognitive social capital was associated with high levels of altruism, self-interest, and response to direct appeal. Philanthropic and high social altruism were associated with high levels of altruism and response to direct appeal.

Conclusion: Cognitive and structural social capital and social altruism are associated with altruism and response to direct appeal, while only cognitive social capital is associated with self-interest. Designing marketing campaigns with these aspects in mind may help blood banks attract potential blood donors more efficiently.

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References

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