Abstract
Background: The increased need of safe
blood and blood products and their
unavailability in hospitals remain a formidable
challenge faced by healthcare providers in
developing countries such as Nigeria.
Airn:To determine the level of awareness of
blood donation among tertiary institution
undergraduates in an urban setting of
Southern Nigeria.
Methodology: Semi-structured questionnaire
was used to collect information from
undergraduates of the University of Benin
and Delta State University both in southern
Nigeria. Data analysis was done using SPSS
software version 16.
Results: A total of 396 people were surveyed.
Of these, 370 (93.4%) were aware that blood
can be donated, while 172 (43.4%) were aware
of the WHO policy on blood donation. Three
hundred and forty-one (86.1%) were aware that
blood donation should be nationally
coordinated while 306(77.3%) did not agree
that medical workers have created enough
awareness on blood donation. Two hundred
and twenty-two (56.1%) were aware that blood
donation should be voluntary and 209(52.8%)
were willing to donate blood if there is an
attached financial reward.
Conclusion: This study has revealed a high
level of awareness on blood donation among
tertiary institution undergraduates in Southern
Nigeria and have demonstrated a poor level
of awareness of the WHO policy on blood
donation.