Sereti C, Apostolidou I, Baka M, Koutsoubos N, Seretis A, Theodoratou M. Incentives and limitations of Greek blood donors: Application of the Health Belief Model in the design of recruiting strategies.
Health Psychol Res 2021;
9:24533. [PMID:
34746483 DOI:
10.52965/001c.24533]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Background
Studies of the behavior of blood donors suggest that the examination of their incentives and reported barriers could be utilized in designing targeted recruiting strategies and awareness-raising campaigns.
Methodology
Data was collected via a questionnaire based on the Health Belief Model (HBM), aimed to examine reported incentives, limitations, benefits, and self-efficacy of 261 blood donors at Thriasio General Hospital from January 1 to March 1, 2020, after required permission provided. The analysis was performed by the use of the SPSS statistical software. In addition, a Greek translation of the K6+ distress scale was provided.
Results
Our sample consisted of 261 blood donors, the majority of which were men (88.5%), 40-50 years old (36.4%), high school graduates (49.4%), and married (53.3%). Heightened awareness of increased blood needs and blood shortages was mentioned. 92.8% of respondents believe that blood donation is an act of contribution to society or beneficial for their health (86.6%). The limited working hours of blood donation services are the main obstacle mentioned by the participants (32.8%), while 80.7% emphasized the need for public information campaigns. Based on the K6 scale answers score, most participants are classified in the intermediate-risk category for Serious Mental Illness (SMI).
Conclusion
The study of beliefs and incentives of blood donors is a critical factor in developing an effective recruiting strategy in a volunteering frame. Public information campaigns regarding the blood donation process and reminders aiming at the return of blood donors after the necessary time interval could facilitate this effort.
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