The symbolic roots of blood donation

Abstract

This overview of contemporary representations of blood in relation to blood donation in Quebec illustrates that though this substance might be disenchanted for many, it still maintains its mysteriousness for others, which underpins the importance of its social, cultural, and religious representations that can potentially lead to useful avenues in improving donor recruitment and retention.

Context and social perceptions of blood donation in donors found positive for human immunodeficiency virus in France

“…Nevertheless, some quantitative and semiquantitative studies have been conducted on positive blood donors to explore motivations of blood donations and reasons of risk‐factor nondisclosure . Qualitative research has focused more on target groups such as MSM blood donors, MSM, the general blood donor population, or in the general population . Subjects of analysis have included blood donor criteria (namely, the MSM criteria), donor perceptions and motivations, as well as comprehension of the PDQ .…”

Cities, villages, and suburbs: What sets them apart when it comes to giving blood?

“…Second, some studies prove that donation does indeed have actual health benefits, particularly for male donors (Zheng et al ). And, for some, albeit a very small number of donors, bloodletting remains a popularly held myth (Charbonneau and Tran ). Lastly, the public continues to view blood‐related needs as an important health issue, particularly in territories with aging populations (and donors) (Zou et al ; Drackley et al ).…”

The ‘Donor of the Future Project’ — first results and further research domains

“…Second, in contrast to previous studies on societal megatrends mostly focusing on one country or context , this study analyses and discusses five areas of change among six countries. Third, by learning about changes influencing blood donors, this study also contributes to the discussion on how to incentivize , recruit and retain blood donors best .…”