title: Psychosocial Variables of Voluntary Blood Donors at Blood Bank of a Medical College.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study was undertaken to study the motivational factors leading to voluntary blood donation and understanding the psychosocial variables of blood donors.
  
  
  METHODS
  300 blood donors were selected by systematic random sampling method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  It was observed that most of the voluntary donors were males (89.3%) and belonged to age group 16-25 years (48%). Most of the donors (93.46%) had studied upto high school and above and 84.33% of the donors belonged to the middle class. 27% of the donors had donated blood previously. The common motivational factors to donate blood were for 'a good cause', 'for the society' and 'to save a life'. 4.67% of them donated blood for self satisfaction.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Motivation, recruitment and retention of voluntary blood donors are important criteria to achieve safe blood donation.
authors.affiliation: Officer In-charge, Station Health Organization, Visakpatnam.
authors.forename: Sougat
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ray
authors.affiliation: Senior Advisor(PSM), Military Hospital Jalandhar Cantt.
authors.forename: Zile
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: Deputy Assistant Director Health, HQ 101 Area (Med), C/o 99 APO.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Banerjee
keywords: Blood Donors; Motivation; Psychosocial; Voluntary