Honorary blood donations in urban and rural areas in Poland

The main purpose of the study was to compare blood donation awareness among students residing in urban and rural areas. Subject and methods The research tool was an anonymous, original questionnaire designed for the purpose of the study. The questionnaire was distributed among 439 people. In the first stage, authors selected randomly two fields of study at Medical University of Warsaw. Next, three years of study were randomly selected in these two chosen fields. Results Nearly 40% of the students admitted that they have donated blood or other compounds. There is statistically significant relation (p=0.0000, Fi=0.25) between blood donation and place of residence of respondents. Students living in cities more seldom showed they have donated blood or other compound. The most common reason that impels students to donate blood is the desire to help another human being. Conclusions The level of students' knowledge about blood donations issue is not good enough. It is recommended to introduce intensive information campaigns about the need of blood donation, for example in the form of social campaigns