       Document 0404
 DOCN  M9630404
 TI    Attitudes and beliefs about blood donation among adults in Mwanza
       Region, Tanzania.
 DT    9603
 AU    Jacobs B; Berege ZA; Bugando Medical Centre, Mwanza, Tanzania.
 SO    East Afr Med J. 1995 Jun;72(6):345-8. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE
       MED/96060378
 AB    A study was carried out to assess the attitudes and beliefs about blood
       donation among the population of Mwanza Region, Tanzania, in order to
       target better the voluntary blood donor recruitment and retention. A
       random sample of 1141 adults, 743 residents of Mwanza town and 398 from
       Mwanza rural areas were interviewed on aspects related to blood
       donation. A high proportion (26.4%) of interviewees had already given
       blood but only 3.8% had donated voluntarily within the last 10 years.
       Voluntary blood donation was correlated with secondary school
       attendance. We noted a positive attitude towards voluntary blood
       donation although the majority of people would do so only for an
       incentive in the form of remuneration. Respondents frequently thought
       that blood donation would infect them with HIV or damage their health.
       No correlation was found between fear to donate and self perceived risk
       for HIV infection. We found that a substantial number of men would
       accept pre-test counselling on HIV in order to infect others if found
       positive. Thus we recommend that HIV counselling should be done with
       extreme care and defer individuals with wrong intentions from blood
       donation. Donor recruitment campaigns should also focus on clearing
       wrong conceptions about blood donation through providing information on
       all aspects related to blood donation. Based on these findings, a scheme
       for blood donor recruitment and retention in Mwanza Region is proposed.
 DE    Adolescence  Adult  *Blood Donors  *Blood Transfusion/ADVERSE EFFECTS
       Counseling  Female  Human  HIV Infections/TRANSMISSION  *Knowledge,
       Attitudes, Practice  Male  Middle Age  Questionnaires  Rural Health
       Support, Non-U.S. Gov't  Tanzania  Urban Health  JOURNAL ARTICLE

       SOURCE: National Library of Medicine.  NOTICE: This material may be
       protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).

