Why do young men lapse from blood donation?

Abstract

Background and Objectives Most men have larger blood volumes and iron stores, making them more suitable blood donors; however, women dominate the donor population in Stockholm. Motives for cessation and returning were examined in a group of lapsing young male donors, in order to improve retention. Methods Demographic studies of the donor population. An online survey was sent to 1012 lapsing male donors aged 18–35 years. Questions focused on reasons for lapsing, returning and donor motivation. Results Demographic studies showed a predominance of female donors, especially in younger age groups. Most lapsing male donors were 18–35 years old. In this age group, there was a large turnover of male donors. The most common reason for lapsing was simply falling out of habit despite repeated invitations. Other reasons were lack of time, work, travel, new sex partner and change in residence. Adverse events were of less importance. The majority indicated that they would return for donation if they had more time and/or received yet another invitation. Donors lapsing after a single donation would significantly more often donate again, than repeat donors, if they were given information on the use of their blood. Furthermore, single‐time donors found the time spent donating significantly more important. Conclusions Increased accessibility and repeated invitations are essential for retention of young male donors. Time constraints are important, suggesting improvements in increased availability as well as shortening of visits. Young men also need help integrating blood donation routines into their life.

Long‐term return and donation pattern of those who begin donating at different ages: A retrospective cohort analysis of blood donors in Australia

“…This observation contrasts with the results of several analyses that have reported higher male return rates 30–33 . This difference in results may be due to different screening and eligibility criteria between men and women in Australia compared with other countries (such as, a longer inter‐donation intervals for women) 21 . Further, a lower participation in blood donation by women may be caused by a higher deferral rate for anaemia or iron‐deficiency, 34,35 pregnancy and breastfeeding, 6,9,30,35 and higher rates of donation related anxiety and vasovagal reactions 34,36 .…”

“…7 The impact of this can be compounded by other life-related events disproportionately experienced by younger donors such as starting a new job and moving to another place, 9,20 which can also deter return and regular donation. Further, younger donors who come back to donate are also likely to disproportionately experience deferrals due to lifestyle related reasons (such as tattoos, travel etc), low iron levels or anaemia, 2,[19][20][21] and vasovagal reactions, 22 all of which can further increase risk of lapse. [23][24][25] Consistent with several other analyses, 16,26,27 donors starting to donate when aged 30 and above were the most productive in our cohorts.…”

“…[30][31][32][33] This difference in results may be due to different screening and eligibility criteria between men and women in Australia compared with other countries (such as, a longer inter-donation intervals for women). 21 Further, a lower participation in blood donation by women may be caused by a higher deferral rate for anaemia or iron-deficiency, 34,35 pregnancy and breastfeeding, 6,9,30,35 and higher rates of donation related anxiety and vasovagal reactions. 34,36 Interestingly, although Misje and colleagues reported similar donation behaviour in both male and female donors aged >45 years old, 30 we observed a significant difference in the number of whole-blood and plasma donations made by male and female donors older than 30 years old, with male donors making relatively more donations.…”

A branded bandage is worth a thousand words: blood branded bandages signal men’s generosity and morality

“…Male donors are statistically more robust to the demands of blood donation. On average they have greater iron stores, a larger blood volume and larger veins [1]. Moreover, they are less likely than female donors to report vasovagal reactions from donating [2].…”

The impact of delayed and immediate adverse events on the intention of future donations in whole blood and plateletpheresis donors

“…Nearly 70% of the non‐willing donors cited time constraints for not donating again, the rest of the donors did not give any specific answers. Previous studies have shown that one of the main factors cited for low donor return rates is time constraints 18,19 …”