Knowledge Attitudes and Practices of Voluntary Blood Donation among University Students in Nigeria: A Descriptive Cross Sectional Study

Background: Adequate and safe blood supply has remained a challenge in developing countries, including Nigeria. Young students can play a fundamental role in blood donation, saving the lives of many people; hence, studying their knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to blood donation is essential.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of voluntary blood donation among Ambrose Alli University students and the factors associated with the frequency of blood donation.

Methodology: A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out at Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma. A total of 250 students were recruited. Pretested questionnaires were used to assess their knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to voluntary blood donation.

Statistical Analysis: The responses were collated and analysed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) v21. We utilized both descriptive and inferential statistical methods to analyse the data. where associations between blood donation practices and sociodemographic features of the respondents as well as knowledge of blood donation and sociodemographic features of the respondents were tested via chi-square tests where appropriate; p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: The study revealed that the mean age of the respondents was 22.3 ( 9.049) years, with females accounting for 51.6% of the sample. A total of 34% (85) have good knowledge, and the respondents have a positive attitude (mean 3.23) toward donation; however, only 13.6% have donated blood with a male-to-female ratio of 2:1. The study revealed significant associations between knowledge of blood donation and several sociodemographic features, including age (p=0.003), year of study (p=0.025), faculty of the respondents (p<0.001) and employment status of the father or male guardian (p=0.035). Furthermore, blood donation practices were significantly associated with the year of study (p=0.028) and faculty (p<0.001). Logistic regression analysis indicated that senior students were less likely to donate blood compared to first year students. Fourth-year students had an odds ratio (OR) of 0.20 (95% CI: 0.05–0.87, P = 0.032), and fifth-year students had an OR of 0.23 (95% CI: 0.06–0.93, P = 0.039).

Conclusion: Despite having a fair level of knowledge regarding blood donation as well as a positive attitude toward it, the respondents portray a poor practice culture with respect to blood donation.