Assessment of knowledge, attitude and practice regarding blood donation among the residents in the urban field practice area of Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute: a community based cross sectional study

Background: The act of donating blood is crucial for healthcare systems worldwide. Despite its significance, blood donation rates are sub-optimal in many regions, especially urban areas. This study aimed to assess the level of knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to blood donation among urban residents in Bangalore. The study also aimed to identify misconceptions, motivators and barriers for guiding public health strategies to promote blood donation. Methods: A community based cross sectional study was conducted in Urban field practice area of Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute, Bengaluru from May 2024 to July 2024. Sample size was calculated according to study done by Samreen et al. Data was collected using simple-random-sampling and analysed via SPSS 26.0. Results: The study investigated knowledge, attitude, and practice of blood donation among 148 participants. Findings showed 6% having good knowledge, 92% having fair knowledge, and 1.3% having poor knowledge about blood donation. 70.9% had favourable attitude, while 29.1% had unfavourable attitude. 14.2% of participants had donated blood despite a high level of favourable attitude. Barriers identified were fear of infections (21%), fear of needles (15%), and laziness along with lack of information (27.2%), ineligibility (17.6%) and fear for health (13.2%). Conclusions: This study indicated that while the population has fair knowledge and favourable attitude towards blood donation, very less proportion have actually donated blood. The study also identified misconceptions, motivations, and barriers to donation. Targeted measures are required to improve blood donation practices.