Self-reported high-risk behavior among first-time and repeat replacement blood donors; a four-year retrospective study of patterns

BACKGROUND: There is no replacement for blood, and patients requiring transfusion depend on human donors, most of whom are family donors. Family donors may deny engagement in high-risk activities, which threaten the safety of donated blood. This study determined frequency of self-reported high-risk behaviors among replacement donors. METHODS: This retrospective study recruited 1317 donor records from 2017-2020, at Mankranso Hospital, Ghana. Data from archived donor questionnaires were extracted and analyzed with SPSS and GraphPad. Frequencies, associations, and quartiles were presented. RESULTS: The donors were predominantly males (84.4%), 17-26 years old (43.7%), informal workers (71.8%), rural inhabitants (56.5%), first-time (65.0%), and screened in the rainy season (56.3%). Donation frequency was significantly associated with age, sex, occupation, and residence. Repeat donors were significantly older (p≤0.001). More males than females were deferred (p = 0.008), drug addicts (p = 0.001), had body modifications (p = 0.025), multiple sexual partners (p = 0.045), and STIs (p≤0.001), whereas, more females were recently treated (p = 0.044). Weight loss (p = 0.005) and pregnancy (p = 0.026) were frequent among 17-26-year group, whereas, tuberculosis was frequent among 37-60-year group (p = 0.009). More first-time donors were unwell (p = 0.005), deferred (p≤0.001), pregnant (p = 0.002), drug addicts, had impending rigorous activity (p = 0.037), body modifications (p = 0.001), multiple sexual partners (p = 0.030), and STIs (p = 0.008). STIs were frequent in the dry season (p = 0.010). First-time donors had reduced hemoglobin (p = 0.0032), weight (p = 0.0003), and diastolic pressure (p = 0.0241). CONCLUSION: Donation frequency was associated with age, sex, occupation, and residence, with first-time donors younger than repeat donors. Deferral from donation, drug addiction, body modification, multiple sexual partners, and STIs were frequent among males, whereas, more females received treatment. Tuberculosis was frequently reported among older adults, whereas, weight loss and pregnancy were frequent among younger individuals. More first-time donors reported being unwell, deferred, drug addiction, body modifications, multiple sexual partners, STIs, and pregnant. Hemoglobin, weight, and diastolic BP were reduced among first-time donors.