Variation of motivation between weekday and weekend donors and their association with distance from blood donation centres.

Background: Maintenance of an effective pool of regular donors is important for protecting public health. In planning the development of blood donation services, motivation for repeat donation would need to be considered in context of the location of blood donation centres in the community.

Study design and methods: Donors giving blood in January 2012 were invited to participate in a cross-sectional study by completing an anonymous online questionnaire. Residence and work/school locations were collected together with demographics and donation histories. Motivated donors were compared with less motivated ones in terms of their timing of blood donation and the spatial relationship with the donor centres.

Results: A total of 3744 questionnaires were completed, representing a response rate of 16.4%. Weekday centre donors were less likely to have returned for blood donation within a year [odds ratio (OR) = 0.79, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.65-0.96] and intend to donate in the following 6 months (OR = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.49-0.97). Living further away from the donor centres gave a higher OR for giving blood during weekdays among motivated centre donors, but such association was absent among less motivated centre donors. Regardless of the level of donors' motivation for blood donation, fewer weekday donations were made if the distance between location of school or workplace and donor centre increased.

Conclusion: Blood donation behaviour was associated with both the accessibility of donor centres and daily commuting patterns of the residents. Motivated centre donors were making more donations, regardless of the distance.