Busted: Blood Donation Myths People Still Believe In

Journal of Communication, 2010

In this study, 580 participants viewed one of the 30 full-length entertainment television episodes. Fifteen of these episodes centered on an organ donation storyline (ODS) where facts about the process were portrayed inaccurately; the remaining 15 were matched by program, but did not feature organ donation, and served as controls. Results indicated nondonors were significantly impacted by negative organ-donation-related content. ODSs produced more negative attitudes, less accurate knowledge, and perceptions of social and descriptive norms less supportive of organ donation among nondonors. However, participants who had already declared a willingness to donate organs after death were not significantly impacted by entertainment television's depiction of myths about donation.

The Lancet, 2010

12 myths about HIV/AIDS and people who use drugs engaged in the global fight against HIV infection have an obligation to examine biases against people who use drugs, learn the facts beyond the myths, and let evidence drive responses.

Companion Proceedings of the Web Conference 2022, 2022

Misinformation has always been part of humankind's information ecosystem. The development of tools and methods for automatically detecting the reliability of information has received a great deal of attention in recent years, such as calculating the authenticity of images, calculating the likelihood of claims, and assessing the credibility of sources. Unfortunately, there is little evidence that the presence of these advanced technologies or the constant effort of fact-checkers worldwide can help stop the spread of misinformation. I will try to convince you that you also hold various false beliefs, and argue for the need for technologies and processes to assess the information shared by ourselves or by others, over a longer period of time, in order to improve our knowledge of our information credibility and vulnerability, as well as those of the people we listen to. Also, I will describe the benefits, challenges, and risks of automated information corrective actions, both for the target recipients and their wider audience.

Scientific reports, 2024

We assessed university students' knowledge, attitude, and practice toward blood donation and identified the factors that promote or hinder their willingness to donate. We employed a multicenter cross-sectional design, collecting data from August to October 2022 through self-administered questionnaires available in Arabic and English. Both online (Google Forms) and paper surveys were utilized. Data were analyzed using R Statistical Software (v4.1.3; R Core Team 2022). A total of 12,606 university students (7966 females and 4640 males) from 16 countries completed the questionnaire; of them, 28.5% had a good knowledge level regarding blood donation, and 22.7% had donated blood at least once. Students in health science colleges had significantly more awareness of blood donation (p-value < 0.001), but there were no significant differences in practice (p-value = 0.8). Barriers to donation included not being asked (37%), medical ineligibility (33%), fear of pain or infection (18%), concerns about negative health effects (18%), difficulty accessing donation centers (15%), and medical mistrust (14%). Individuals aged > 20 years had significantly higher odds of possessing a high knowledge level (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.77, p < 0.001). Private and international university enrollment was associated with increased knowledge (aOR 1.19, p-value < 0.001 and aOR 1.44, p-value = 0.003), while non-health science college students had lower odds (aOR 0.36, p < 0.001). Regarding blood donation status, participants > 20 years old were more likely to donate (aOR 2.21, p < 0.001). Conversely, being female, having congenital or chronic diseases, and possessing low knowledge levels were associated with decreased odds of blood donation (all p < 0.05). University students show insufficient knowledge about blood donation, with health science students displaying higher awareness levels. Despite their positive attitudes, blood donation rates remain low across all disciplines. It is imperative to enhance education and accessibility to foster a culture of blood donation among students.

Transfusion, 2007

Understanding what prevents people from ever donating blood, or having donated, what influenced them to stop, are both equally important in devising recruitment strategies. Enlisting new donors and encouraging previous donors to return are vital to increasing collections. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Six racially homogeneous focus groups of never donors and lapsed donors were conducted. Both sexes and a range of age groups were represented. The importance of blood donation as a volunteer activity, deterrents, motivations, awareness of need, and effective recruitment messages were topics discussed. RESULTS: Never donors do not see blood donation as an important volunteer activity on par with others like volunteering at hospitals, schools, and support groups. Fear and inconvenience were major barriers to donating. Better education campaigns to allay fears about donating and workplace drives were considered important motivators. Participants were unaware of the need for blood. Media messages that combine safety of the process along with who it benefits were considered most effective. Messages that target the specific needs of minority communities were considered good motivators for their recruitment. CONCLUSION: Blood collection agencies should increase awareness that blood donation is a worthwhile and important volunteer activity. Another strategy would be to capitalize on the existing perception that donating blood is like donating money or used clothing, by focusing on the concept of giving something tangible. Along with providing convenient opportunities to donate, blood centers need to effectively convey the need for blood and allay fears about the donation process to increase the current donor pool.

Background and Objectives: Blood Collection Agencies in several countries have implemented strategies to increase the number of plasmapheresis collections. Despite this, a sizable minority of plasma donors lapse from donation each year, with little research conducted on this topic. An understanding of the plasma donation experience from the perspective of lapsed donors, insights into why they stopped donating, and their views on returning to donate may provide opportunities to intervene to increase the retention and reactivation of plasma donors. Materials and Methods: A qualitative approach was used in this study, with 17 lapsed plasma donors (no plasma donation for at least 13 months) interviewed. A purposive recruitment strategy was used to obtain a sample with diversity in gender (47% men), age (M = 36.2 years, SD = 13.6), and donation experience (M = 9.2 years, SD = 9.6). Semi-structured, narrative interviews were conducted, with participants describing their plasma donation careers chronologically from first donation to most recent. Results: The majority of participants described at least some aspect of the plasma donation procedure as unpleasant. However, adverse experiences were only attributed to lapsing in a minority of cases, with other participants reporting significant life events, perceived ineligibility, and concerns about the safety of the procedure as the reason why they lapsed. Conclusion: It is common for lapsed plasma donors to intend to donate again in the future. Recommendations are given for strategies to address barriers to returning, noting the potential role of tailored education and support.

Rumors are claims about events or situations that are passed primarily outside official channels and are not based upon substantiated facts. Urban legends are a sub-genre of rumor with a more complete narrative. Rumor research in social science is limited and sporadic, yet plays a vital role in understanding beliefs, attitudes, emotional states, and worldviews that cannot, or will not, be openly articulated. Both social and technological shifts have influenced the analysis of rumor and urban legends. Introduction Rumors are claims about reality-particularly events, people, and situations – that are circulated primarily outside official sources of knowledge, such as mass media sources, organizational authorities, or government agencies. There is nothing in this definition, widely agreed-upon in rumor studies, which requires a rumor to be false. It is hard not to associate it with falsehood, since false rumors fascinate and frustrate us, and in some cases, they pose grave dangers. Non...

1989

By Dr. Brandon Reines uring the last week of April each year, as predictably as the chirping of robins, the deputy director of the National Institutes of Health sings the praises of animal experimentation. &quot;Virtually every medical innovation of the last century,&quot; claims Dr. William F. Raub, &quot;has been based to a significant extent upon the results of animal experimentation.&quot; The inspiration for such oratory is the agitation of animal-rights and animal-protection groups, marking the observance of April 21-28 as World Week for Laboratory Animals. Dr. Raub is hardly alone in contending that medical discoveries usually come from animal experiments. In fact, that contention is an article of faith among thousands of animal researchers the world over. Not only scientists but the media and many members of the public, as well, believe that no breakthrough in treatment is possible without experiments on animals. This is due in part to the efforts of special-interest organiz...

Transfusion and apheresis science : official journal of the World Apheresis Association : official journal of the European Society for Haemapheresis, 2015

This paper identifies critical beliefs underpinning intentions to commence and continue plasmapheresis donation. Whole blood (n = 624) and first-time plasmapheresis (n = 460) donors completed a cross-sectional survey assessing the belief-base of the theory of planned behaviour and rated their plasmapheresis donation intentions. While the idea of red blood cells being returned was a key deterrent for all donors, critical beliefs underlying commencement and continuation in the plasmapheresis donor panel differed and varied as a function of blood donation history. Findings will assist the development of targeted persuasion messages to optimise recruitment and retention of plasmapheresis donors in a non-remunerated context.

Health, 2014

Objective: To assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding blood donation in the general population. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted and enrolled 416 people between 18 and 65 years old at random, living in three health zones in the city of Bukavu in eastern DRC. These subjects responded to a questionnaire on knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding blood donation. Results: Our sample consisted of 61.5% men, 70.9% of people from one level of education at the secondary level and 60% unemployed. According to the surveyed subjects blood was considered as a fuel of the body in 44.6% and as a source of life in 44.1%. Sixty-one percent of the population did not know the practice of blood donation; this knowledge differed significantly (p < 0.0001) according to the level of education. 67.1% of people knew that the blood had negative effects and 27.4% did not know where the blood bags were stored. Channels of knowledge about blood donation practices were associations of blood donors (30.9%), awareness campaigns (18.2%), school (17.3%) and media (15.5%), churches (10%), and friends (8.1%). Approximately 85% of subjects who knew blood donation agreed with blood donation and blood transfusion but only 54.9% had donated blood in their lifetime, with a proportion of loyalty to blood donation (31.8%). In the population 59.4% were willing to donate blood. Motivation to donate blood most common (66%) was volunteerism while 19.1% were willing to donate blood for a J. M. Kabinda et al. 2526 family member and 12.6% willing to donate blood against money. The reasons for refusal to donate blood identified were fear of contracting diseases especially HIV, lack of information, religious beliefs, the sale of the collected blood by medical staff, and fear of test result for HIV. Conclusion: Factors of refusal to donate blood were identified. Efforts and new strategies tailored to these factors must be developed and implemented to increase blood donation.