Investigating Cultural Barriers to Blood Donations in the United States
Disciplines
Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Abstract (300 words maximum)
After the pandemic began in early 2020, the United States has experienced a steady decline in blood donation rates. This sharp decline in blood donors can be attributed to two major factors: the ability to attract new donors as well as the retention rate of new and previous donors. Studies have shown that the minority populations in the US have a significantly lower blood donation rate compared to the Caucasian population. This study investigates through an extensive literature review if there are societal and cultural barriers that contribute to the significant gap between different ethnicities and blood donation rates. We are expecting to see cultural and societal barriers to blood donation such as: old mindsets regarding blood use for ritual purposes; a shortfall in knowledge regarding blood donations; the lack of outreach within minority groups; distrust with medical facilities/research due to previous transgressions; and higher occurrences of blood related diseases such as sickle cell disease. By understanding these barriers, we can more effectively develop strategies to overcome them, which in turn can be used to increase both the blood donor population and their retention rate.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
SPCEET - Industrial and Systems Engineering
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Robert Keyser
Additional Faculty
Maria Valero, Department of Information Technology, mvalero2@kennesaw.edu
Joy Li, Department of Software Engineering and Game Development, yli49@kennesaw.edu
Investigating Cultural Barriers to Blood Donations in the United States
After the pandemic began in early 2020, the United States has experienced a steady decline in blood donation rates. This sharp decline in blood donors can be attributed to two major factors: the ability to attract new donors as well as the retention rate of new and previous donors. Studies have shown that the minority populations in the US have a significantly lower blood donation rate compared to the Caucasian population. This study investigates through an extensive literature review if there are societal and cultural barriers that contribute to the significant gap between different ethnicities and blood donation rates. We are expecting to see cultural and societal barriers to blood donation such as: old mindsets regarding blood use for ritual purposes; a shortfall in knowledge regarding blood donations; the lack of outreach within minority groups; distrust with medical facilities/research due to previous transgressions; and higher occurrences of blood related diseases such as sickle cell disease. By understanding these barriers, we can more effectively develop strategies to overcome them, which in turn can be used to increase both the blood donor population and their retention rate.