Saudi public awareness, attitude and practices of blood donation Mostafa Abolfotouh1,2, Mohammed Al-Assiri1, Al-Omani Manar2, Al-Waleed Al-Johar3 and, Abdulaziz AL-Hakbani3 1King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC), ²King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for health sciences. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 3King Saud University. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Saudi public awareness, attitude and practices of blood donation Introduction Prevalence of blood donation Results About one-half of subjects (53.3%) reported previous donation. of whom 39% donated blood more than once, with a frequency ranging from 1-38 times and a mean of 4.89 times (5.11 for males &1.53 for females, p=0.015). Knowledge percent mean score (PMS) was 58.07% denoting poor level, while attitude PMS towards blood donation was 75.45% reflecting neutral level. Donation was significantly more prevalent among males (66% in males & 13.3% in females, OR=13.2, p>0.001). After adjustment for confounders, higher knowledge score (p=0.027), higher attitude score (p=0.001) and male gender (p<0.001) were significant predictors of blood donation practice. Inability to reach blood donation centers and fear of anemia and were the main reason for not donating blood in female (49.9% & 35.7%), while lack of time was the main barrier for males (59.5%) Blood transfusion is a vital process to save lives, and that process is based on the blood donation which become a serious problem for most of health care center due to increase of demand and decrease of supply. In Saudi Arabia, voluntary blood donors are the only blood source of donation. Previous incidents of transmission of infection through blood transfusion in some hospitals would affect people’s perception towards blood donation. Aims of this study are: 1) To assess the level of Saudi public knowledge and attitude towards blood donation and 2) To describe previous experiences and barriers against blood donation. Level of knowledge about blood donation Attitude towards blood donation Methodology Study Design. This study was conducted on 469 Saudi adults who attended the different shopping malls that serve different geographical areas of Riyadh, of both sexes, and adults who attended the outpatient clinics of KAMC during the period of study. Data Collection. Data were collected using a previously validated questionnaire[1] that comprises 38 questions considering demographic and background characteristics, level of knowledge, attitudes and motivations towards blood donation. Data Analysis. Descriptive and analytical statistics were applied. Discussion blood donation was less than satisfactory among Saudi public, more probably due to misconceptions and poor knowledge. Educational programs are necessary to upgrade the level of knowledge and attitude of the Saudi public towards blood donation in order to encourage more donation. Barriers for donations have to be looked for. References [1]Mousavi, F., Tavabi, A., Golestan, B., Ammarsaeedi, E., Kashani, H., Tabatabaei, R. & Iran-Pour, E. (2011).Knowledge, attitude, and practice towards blood donation in Iranian population. Transfusion Medicine, 21, 308-317. Knowledge percent mean score was 8.07% (poor) Attitude percent mean score was 75.45 % (neutral) Reasons for non-donation by gender (P = 0.492) (P <0.0001) (P = 0.518) (P = 0. 145) (P = 0. 721) (P = 0.021) (P = 0.001)