title: Motivators and deterrents to blood donation among Black South Africans: a qualitative analysis of focus group data.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  South Africa has a markedly skewed representation where the majority of blood (62%) is presently collected from an ethnically White minority. This study seeks to identify culturally specific factors affecting motivation of donors in South Africa.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a qualitative study to evaluate motivators and deterrents to blood donation among Black South Africans. A total of 13 focus groups, comprising a total of 97 Black South Africans, stratified by age and geographic location were conducted. Transcripts of the interviews were analysed using a coding framework by Bednall & Bove.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants made 463 unique comments about motivators focusing primarily on promotional communications (28%), incentives (20%) and prosocial motivation (16%). Participants made 376 comments about deterrents which focused primarily on fear (41%), negative attitudes (14%) and lack of knowledge (10%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although prosocial motivation (altruism) was the most frequently mentioned individual motivator, promotional communication elicited more overall comments by participants. As reported by many authors, fear and lack of awareness were strong deterrents, but scepticism engendered by perceived racial discrimination in blood collection were unique to the South African environment.
authors.affiliation: CEO-Strategy, South African National Blood Service, Johannesburg, South Africa.
authors.forename: T N
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Muthivhi
authors.affiliation: Survey Research Division, Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Olmsted
authors.affiliation: Survey Research Division, Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Survey Research Division, Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sha
authors.affiliation: CEO-Strategy, South African National Blood Service, Johannesburg, South Africa.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Raju
authors.affiliation: CEO-Strategy, South African National Blood Service, Johannesburg, South Africa.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mokoena
authors.affiliation: Department of International Research and Training, Blood System Research Institute, San Francisco, California, USA.|Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Bloch
authors.affiliation: Department of International Research and Training, Blood System Research Institute, San Francisco, California, USA.|Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
authors.forename: E L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.affiliation: CEO-Strategy, South African National Blood Service, Johannesburg, South Africa.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Reddy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000533:Altruism; D001294:Attitude to Health; D044383:Black People / Q000523:psychology*; D001782:Blood Donors / Q000523:psychology*; D003469:Culture; D046148:Donor Selection; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D010565:Persuasive Communication; D036301:Qualitative Research; D063505:Racism; D012945:Social Values; D013019:South Africa; D035502:Trust; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: blood donation; deterrents; motivators