Influence of peer‐derived donor recruitment on the youth perception on blood donation among college students

Background Donor recruitment and retention pose an ongoing challenge to the blood banks. One approach to improve the effectiveness of recruitment strategies is to target influencing factors. A league is conducted yearly at the Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) to encourage blood donation. This study aims at assessing the youth perception towards blood donation at SQU and non‐SQU students. Study design and methods A comprehensive voluntary survey was developed to assess perception of students attending SQU and non‐SQU colleges. Student demographics, donation experience and factors influencing donation decisions were assessed. The analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 22.0. A total of 600 college students filled the survey (43·5%; n = 261 males, 56·5%, n = 339 females). Half of the surveyed college students believed they have enough knowledge on blood donation. SQU students reported greater influence of peers (84% vs. 60·7%, P < 0·001), personal knowledge (82·3% vs. 74·7%, P = 0·029) and personal experiences (79·3% vs. 69%, P = 0·005). They also reported more commitment to the society (90·3% vs. 78%, P < 0·001) and altruism (89·3% vs. 71%, P < 0·001). SQU students reported lower rates of fear from needles (18% vs. 32%, P < 0·001) and from seeing blood (15·7% vs. 29·3%, P < 0·001). Conclusion Sultan Qaboos University students reported higher rates of motivating and lower rates of discouraging factors towards blood donation. These results highlighted the positive impact and important role of the youth in promoting blood donations among themselves. Distinct promotion strategies should be adopted to increase blood donation among the youth.