Education in donation coping strategies encourages individuals to give blood: further evaluation of a donor recruitment brochure

BACKGROUND: This study extends our prior assessment of a blood donation recruitment brochure by assessing persistence of observed changes in attitudes toward donation as well as the effects that such changes have on the behavior of registering to give blood. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Participants were randomly assigned to read 1) a study brochure addressing common donor concerns and suggesting specific coping strategies, 2) a blood center brochure, or 3) a control brochure on healthy eating and exercise. Measures of blood donation attitudes, donation-related anxiety, confidence in ability to avert vasovagal reactions, and intentions to give blood in the near future were completed before and after reading the brochures and again approximately 1 week later. In addition, participants were given the opportunity to sign up for an upcoming blood drive immediately after reading the brochure. RESULTS: Relative to the control brochure, the study brochure was associated with improvements in donation attitude, anxiety, confidence, and intention, and all of these effects persisted at follow-up. Further, participants who read the study brochure were more likely to volunteer to give blood, an effect that was mediated by enhanced confidence in their ability to avoid vasovagal reactions. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to a brief educational brochure can enhance prospective donor confidence and increase the likelihood that they will volunteer to give blood.