A Survey of Attitudes of Experienced Blood Donors

This study examines the effects of a web-based motivational interview on 1) internal motivation to donate blood; 2) donor autonomy, competence and relatedness; and 3) donation intention and behavior. The study also evaluates whether group differences in donation intention and behavior are mediated by autonomy, competence, and relatedness, and in turn, internal motivation.

Voluntary blood donation is both important and necessary for the provision of a steady and safe blood supply. With an aging population and increased restrictions on who can donate blood, maintenance of a stable blood supply is essential. Although 38% of the United States population is eligible to donate, only 5% actually does so. Retention of donors is essential to assuring the continuity of a safe blood supply; repeat donors are safer, more cost effective, and less likely to experience adverse reactions. Current recruitment and retention methods may not be sufficient to encourage repeat donations. According to Self-Determination Theory, people are more likely to persist with behaviors that are internally versus externally motivated. Internal motivation is enhanced by supporting an individual's needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. One intervention that has shown early promise as a novel method to enhance internal motivation to donate blood is motivational interviewing. However, implementation of a motivational interviewing intervention is costly and time consuming. Given the time and money required for training and delivery of a motivational interviewing intervention, the current study is designed to test the efficacy of a newly-developed web-based version of a motivational interview. Participants will be randomly assigned to complete either an on-line motivational interview about their blood donation experience or an on-line knowledge interview about blood donation.