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Determinants of Antenatal Blood Donation Practices among Married Men in Ilorin Metropolis, North-central Nigeria

With availability of blood transfusion service, up to 150,000 maternal deaths can be averted. Improving blood availability through voluntary or compulsory antenatal blood donation is pivotal to reducing maternal mortality. This study was conducted to find out the determinants of antenatal blood donation practices among married men in Ilorin metropolis. Using a pretested, semi-structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire, a descriptive cross-sectional study involving 500 married men was carried out using a multi-stage sampling technique. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 18 software package. Regression analysis was used to test for significant associations between variables. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Even though, majority (85.8%) of the respondents were willing to support voluntary blood donation, less than half of them (43.4%) had ever donated blood. Fear of contracting infections such as HIV/ AIDS and Hepatitis (66%) and fear of fainting spells and bloodletting (41.6%) were the major deterrents to blood donation. Regression analysis revealed that age (β= -0.061; p =0.002), occupation (β =0.125; p =0.000) and level of education were significant predictors of antenatal blood donation practices among respondents. Voluntary antenatal blood donation practice is still low among the study population. Certain socio-demographic factors such as age, level of education and occupation are important predictors of antenatal blood donation. Improvement in public enlightenment campaign to raise level of awareness and allay fears and misconceptions about antenatal blood donation is advised.