Unknown, so also unvalued? Blood donation awareness and attitudes of potential donors of Dutch and African descent

Abstract

Background and objectives Many Western countries face a shortage of African blood donors, while their specific blood groups are needed to transfuse chronic transfusion patients of similar ethnic background. Blood donation awareness and attitudes greatly impact the decision to become a blood donor, but how they are related and differ across ethnic groups is understudied. This study investigated blood donation awareness and attitudes of individuals of Dutch and African descent in the Netherlands.Materials and methods Survey data of 257 African and 152 Dutch non-donors measuring donation awareness (i.e. being familiar with the Dutch blood bank organization and knowing others who donated blood), cognitive (evaluative judgements) and affective (emotional reactions) attitudes were included. t-Tests, chi-square tests, linear and logistic regressions were conducted to study differences and associations between donation awareness and attitudes.Results African individuals were less often aware of the Dutch blood bank organization (43%; p < 0Á05) or others who donated blood (51%; p < 0Á05) than Dutch individuals (55% and 68%, respectively). African individuals had lower cognitive donation attitudes compared with Dutch individuals (p < 0Á001), but no differences were found for affective attitudes (p = 0Á55). High donation awareness was associated with higher cognitive (p < 0Á001) and affective (p < 0Á05) donation attitudes among African minorities, but not among Dutch individuals. ConclusionThe lower donation awareness and cognitive attitudes of African minorities should be taken into consideration in donor recruitment. Raising awareness through effective communication strategies might be essential in the donor decision making process of this target group.

Impact of societal and legal context on the blood supply of African‐ancestry populations in Western countries: A review of practices and the French example

“…Consequently, the country counts many active rare blood donors. Lastly, the studies of blood donation in the Dutch population of Surinamese, sub-Saharan and Caribbean ancestry have highlighted the lack of awareness and practical constraints as the main impediment [18,31,49]. As in France, where blood donation is possible only in French, language can be an obstacle in the Netherlands because it is done only in English or Dutch.…”

Sickle cell disease and the need for blood: Barriers to donation for African, Caribbean, and Black young adults in Canada

“…Research from the United States, Australia, France, the Netherlands, and the province of Quebec demonstrates that barriers to blood donation for people classified or identifying as Black include factors such as not knowing a blood recipient, fear of needles, other deferral criteria, mistrust of the medical system, experiences of systemic racism, cultural meanings, being unfamiliar with voluntary blood donation, and accessibility challenges. [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] Haitians, classified or identifying as Black, in Quebec reported that the unwarranted exclusion from blood donation during the tainted blood crisis of the 1980s continues to discourage donation in their communities today. 16,17 Despite barriers, participants indicated willingness to donate when they know there is a need for blood and that their blood may be used to help someone within their community.…”

“…Countries such as Canada that rely on high levels of transnational migration face the challenge of recruiting donors of African ancestry. Research from the United States, Australia, France, the Netherlands, and the province of Quebec demonstrates that barriers to blood donation for people classified or identifying as Black include factors such as not knowing a blood recipient, fear of needles, other deferral criteria, mistrust of the medical system, experiences of systemic racism, cultural meanings, being unfamiliar with voluntary blood donation, and accessibility challenges 8–15 . Haitians, classified or identifying as Black, in Quebec reported that the unwarranted exclusion from blood donation during the tainted blood crisis of the 1980s continues to discourage donation in their communities today 16,17 .…”