title: Voluntary Blood Donation among Students - A Cross-Sectional Study on Knowledge and Practice vs. Attitude.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The factors influencing blood donation decisions are varied and complex and one's attitude can influence this decision.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To find the factors affecting the knowledge and practice of blood donation among college students and their attitude towards the same.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional study was conducted among 399 college going students using convenience sampling from medical, nursing and engineering colleges in Bhubaneswar city, where blood donation camps were to be held. Data was collected through self-administered questionnaires and, analysed in SPSS Version 20.0.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Knowledge regarding blood donation was adequate among 228 (57.1%) of the students and, 221 (55.4%) students had donated blood. Knowledge was significantly better among female students, medical stream and in those whose parents were in non-medical jobs; whereas blood donation had been done significantly more by male, non-medical stream students and by those whose parents were in medical field. Most common reason for donating blood was a sense of social responsibility and most common reason of non-donation was fear of the procedure. An 85% of the students were of the view that they would donate blood if asked. Students suggested that small incentives like certificates and arranging transport for blood donation would make it easier to donate.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Just over half of the students had adequate knowledge about blood donation and similar percentage had donated blood. There is this large pool of safe blood in college going students who are willing, but not tapped as source of blood donation.
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor, Department of Transfusion Medicine and Blood Bank, AIIMS , Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India .
authors.forename: Babita
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Raghuwanshi
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor, Department of Pathology, L.N. Medical College , Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India .
authors.forename: Nand K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Pehlajani
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, AIIMS , Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India .
authors.forename: Mithilesh K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Sinha
keywords: Donation behaviour; Medical students; Non-medical