University Students Awareness and Attitude towards Blood Donation in Kerman City

Background: Blood transfusion is one of the most crucial needs of the society in multiple diseases and injuries. The only source of blood is donation. Students consist a large and healthy group who are able of providing a large number of blood donation, however, blood donation is rare amongst them. This study was conducted to evaluate students awareness and attitude towards blood donation in Kerman city. Materials and Methods: In this cross sectional study, 500 students in Kerman city were evaluated using a questionnaire. T-test, Chi-square and Pearson tests were used for data analysis. Results: The mean (±SD) score of the students awareness and attitude towards blood donation were 1.96 ±3.4 out of 9 and 5.32±45.42 out of 60, respectively. Data analysis revealed that there was no significant difference in students attitude between males and females, while males were more aware than females (P<0.001). There was a positive and significant relationship between the students attitude and awareness (P<0.001 and r=0.22). With an increase in students awareness about blood donation, their attitude would improve as well. Only 24.6% of all students reported a history of blood donation whose awareness and attitude were better than other students (P<0.001). Conclusion: Generally, evaluated students were not aware enough about blood donation. It is necessary to find obstacles and eliminate them to improve the situation.