Youngsters 'more willing to donate blood'

London, October 14 (ANI): The younger generation is more willing to donate blood, a new Canadian survey has found.

The study, which was published at BioMed Central's open access International Journal of Health Geographics, looked into what factors impacted blood donation.

The team from McMaster University, Canada who did the research reached the startling conclusion that although most people used donor blood at some point in their life, yet just less than a mere 4 percent of eligible donors actually donated.

Antonio Páez, who was part of the group that did the study, said: "Like other countries, Canada's population is aging, and the implications of this demographic change need to be better understood from the perspective of blood supply."

The records of the Canadian Blood Services were carefully examined to mark several patterns.

It was noted that the 15-24 age group showed the strongest likelihood to be donors, whilst those of working age (25-54) were the least likely to be donors.

The authors predict that due to an ageing population the reliance on the younger generation would be unsustainable.

The study also hinted at positive ties between level of education and ability to speak English with donation likelihood, while it was observed that immigrants and the wealthy were less likely to donate.

Also, the paper suggested that big city dwellers donated less blood compared to those living in smaller cities or towns, coining the phrase "the stingy big-city effect".

Páez said: "The fact that those who possessed a higher level of education were more likely to donate lends weight to the assertion that, with 25 percent of Canadians thinking there are some risks in donating blood, educating the public would help expand the donor database.

"Blood products are an essential component of modern medicine and necessary to support many life-saving and life-prolonging procedures.

"To achieve the target levels of donations, there need to be targeted campaigns designed to encourage a greater number of Canadians to consider blood donation". (ANI)