Minority donation in the United States: challenges and needs.
OBJECTIVE
In the United States, blood donation rates of African-Americans are 25-50% of that of white individuals. As African-Americans make up an ever increasing and now substantial minority, and African-American recipients of blood transfusion, both specialized, such as sickle cell disease patients, and general hospitalized patients, have a better chance of receiving phenotype-matched or appropriate red blood cell units when there is a significant percentage of products in the inventory from African-American donors, it is important to understand the reason for the observed difference.


RESULTS
Possible reasons for this discrepancy in donation rates include increased rates of donor deferral and ineligibility; increased barriers to donation, such as fear and distrust; and different marketing and education strategies. Thus, to increase the blood availability to African-American recipients, the reasons for these donation rate differences must be better understood and subsequently addressed through improved blood donor recruitment programs. The majority of African-American donor recruitment programs have focused on donating for sickle cell disease patients, particularly children, which have been of limited success.


CONCLUSIONS
Significant improvements in African-American donor recruitment are needed to adequately meet the demand of African-American patients as well as the entire population.
Shaz
Beth H
BH
New York Blood Center, New York, New York 10065, USA. bshaz@nybloodcenter.org
Hillyer
Christopher D
CD
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D001782:Blood Donors; D001803:Blood Transfusion; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D014481:United States