title: Knowledge, attitudes and practices towards blood donation in Barbados.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To obtain information to devise strategies for a voluntary blood donor mobilisation campaign in Barbados.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that 100% blood should be collected from voluntary non-remunerated donors (VNRD), yet the majority of blood donations (75%) in Barbados are family/replacement donations. Increasing VNRD is paramount to achieving a safe, reliable blood supply, and understanding the population is a strategy suggested by the WHO to inform donor recruitment and education.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants in Barbados (n = 429) completed a self-administered questionnaire in 2014. The questionnaire comprised 31 questions, including demographics (age, gender, highest educational attainment) and blood donation-related knowledge, attitudes and practices. Analysis of variance, t-test and linear regression were used to analyse data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 53% (n = 219) of participants had previously donated blood; almost half were family/replacement donors, and over one-third (36·2%) were lapsed donors and had not donated within the past 2 years. Knowledge deficits included blood donation requirements, deferral factors and maximum yearly donations. Most participants (79%) were willing to donate with more information. Participants with higher educational attainment and previous donors had higher total knowledge and attitude scores (P < 0·01). Single, female and younger participants were less likely to donate blood (P < 0·05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Barbados can likely increase voluntary blood donation rates by addressing knowledge deficits through education campaigns and increasing awareness of the need for donation.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Barbados.
authors.forename: A E
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6389-2865
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Atherley
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Barbados.
authors.forename: C G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Barbados.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Whittington
authors.affiliation: University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.|School of Service Development and Improvement, University of Bradford, Bradford, UK.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jonker
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001460:Barbados; D001782:Blood Donors; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019359:Knowledge; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D057566:Self Report
keywords: attitude; beliefs; blood donation; replacement; voluntary