Encouraging fathers-to-be to donate: Insights from the Baby Dad Blood Donation Project.

BACKGROUND AND

OBJECTIVES

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in 2020 caused severe disruptions to blood supplies in China. In response, a collaborative strategy known as the 'Baby Dad Blood Donation Project' (BDBDP) was implemented by the Guangzhou Blood Center and associated hospitals. The current research aims to evaluate the effects of this project.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

A match-pair study design was adopted, involving three male participant groups: BDBDP participants (Father donors [F-donors]); spontaneous donors at mobile blood drives or apheresis donation stations (Spontaneous donors [S-donors]); and Non-donors (N-donors) who had never donated blood. F- and S-donors were matched by age, donation frequency and volume. N-donors, sourced from an online marketplace, were age-matched with F-donors. Following a 1:1:1 pairing, 535 males were selected per group. Participants completed a questionnaire and were followed for 2 years.

RESULTS

In total, 104 (19.4%) F-donors and 198 (37.0%) S-donors re-donated blood within 2 years (p < 0.001). Among first-time donors, 36 (10.6%) F-donors re-donated compared to 91 (26.7%) donors. N-donors exhibited a significantly lower first-time donation rate (26 (4.8%), ps < 0.001). Saving lives (p = 0.875) was the primary motive of present blood donation among all donors, but F-donors were more likely to donate blood because of preferential blood use (p < 0.001). Lack of motivation emerged as the primary reason why first-time F-donors had not donated previously.

CONCLUSION

The BDBDP effectively encouraged first-time donations among the fathers-to-be and raised awareness about blood donation. However, re-donation rates were modest, indicating the need for ongoing engagement strategies to sustain donor participation.