(P-BC-7) A Longitudinal Study of University Blood Donors' Willingness: Insights from the Theory of Planned Behavior

As societal and medical landscapes evolve,the demand for clinical blood transfusion has gradually increased. University students, as an indispensable group of voluntary blood donors, have experienced a decline in their proportion in the total blood donor population in recent years, further increasing the pressure on blood donation services.In the Hangzhou region, for instance, the proportion of university students donating blood has dropped from 23.03% in 2018 to 16.61% in 2023. This study aims to explore the changes in factors influencing the willingness to donate blood among university students before and after the pandemic, utilizing the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). The ultimate goal is to adjust promotional and recruitment strategies to enhance the repeat blood donation rate among university students.

Study

Design/Methods:

This study randomly selected university students who participated in blood donation in Hangzhou between April 4 and May 4, 2023, and conducted a questionnaire survey. Follow-up observations were conducted for one year to monitor their subsequent blood donation behavior. The study utilized a repeated blood donation intention and related influencing factors evaluation index system based on TPB to investigate the influencing factors of university students' behavioral intentions. The results were compared and analyzed with the findings of a study conducted in 2018 on influencing factors of repeat blood donation intention among university students.

Results/Findings:

The overall situation of the study population showed that in 2023, the influencing factors of university students' willingness to donate blood, including external motivations for donation and perceived behavioral control, had increased compared to 2018. However, there was a decline in attitude and the degree of adopting suggestions. Notably, the impact of perceived behavioral control was higher than attitude, which differs from the results in 2018 where attitude had a greater impact on blood donation intention than perceived behavioral control. The effect value of attitude on blood donation willingness decreased from 0.638 in 2018 to 0.225 in 2023. The effect values of external motivations for donation (0.055 to 0.144) and perceived behavioral control (0.392 to 0.772) on blood donation willingness were higher than those in 2018.

Conclusions:

With the advancement of society and the acceleration of information dissemination, university students' values, lifestyles, and understanding of blood donation are constantly evolving, leading to corresponding changes in their planned behavior patterns. It is necessary to further adjust the focus of blood donation promotion and recruitment strategies based on the study results, and strengthen interventions in the area of perceived behavioral control among university blood donors to enhance their willingness to donate blood.