Promoting Repeat Blood Donation Through Social Media Among First-time Donors in a Peruvian Blood Bank

Overview

Blood donations are an important need worldwide. In Peru, only 10% of donations are voluntary, of which only a quarter are repeat donors. Repeat donations are crucial to maintaining a safe and adequate blood supply. Social media presents a unique opportunity to promote blood donation, because of its increasing use and its prior successes in promoting positive health-related behaviors . The present study aims to develop and evaluate a social media intervention - Facebook and WhatsApp - to improve communication and promote repeat blood donations in voluntary first-time donors attending donation campaigns organized by the Hospital Nacional Cayetano Heredia (HCH).

Main Objective: To evaluate the effect of social media in the promotion of repeat blood donation among first-time blood donors in a Peruvian blood bank. Study design: A randomized control trial will be conducted over a 6-month period, and will compare the rate of repeat blood donation who amongst first-time donors who received promotional messages through social media and those who did not. Population: Voluntary first-time blood donors who attend blood donation campaigns organized by the blood bank of the Hospital Nacional Cayetano Heredia (HCH), Lima - Peru. Sample: A sample of 105 participants per group was calculated, with a significance of 95% and a power of 80%, to show a difference of 20% in recurrence rate of blood donation between the two groups. Group assignment: Participant selection will occur at blood donation campaigns organized by the HCH blood bank. If inclusion and exclusion criteria are met, donors will be invited to participate in the study. After accepting and signing the informed consent form, donors will be randomly assigned to one of two groups using complete block randomization until a total of 212 participants are recruited: 106 in the intervention group and 106 in the control group. All participants will receive an introductory message through social media confirming their participation in the study. Ethical considerations: Written informed consent will be requested from participants. Data confidentiality will be maintained. Personal identifiers will be stored in a separate database, which will be password protected and accessible only to the research team.