Generational Giving: Japanese High School Students’ Motivation to Donate Blood

Background: As the number of young people in Japan decreases, the proportion of them who donate blood warrants urgent attention. The aims of this investigation were to test whether students’ motivation of “doing good for others” associated with their blood donation behavior and to explore factors associated with their motivation. Methods: Fukushima Red Cross Blood Donor Center conducted a questionnaire survey in 2018 at 10 high schools in Fukushima Prefecture (N=4506). From the database, we analyzed the factors associated with motivation as assessed by the perception of “doing good for others” using chi-square tests and binomial logistic regression. Results: The percentage of those answering “doing good for others” as “important” was 67.2%. Students who donated blood more often tended to cite “doing good for others” as important. The probability of regarding this perception as important was significantly higher among females, those with better subjective health, and those knowing their own blood type and donation eligibility criteria. Conclusion: Health promotion activities that improve subjective perceptions of one’s health may reinforce students’ awareness of blood donation as “doing good for others” that might promote frequent donation. Our results also support greater outreach to male students and improving students’ knowledge related to blood donation.