Identifying and Analyzing Factors Contributing to Blood Donation Reluctance among University Students: A Quantitative Approach

Despite the critical importance of blood donations in healthcare systems, many potential donors still need to be more confident. This study aimed to identify and analyze the factors contributing to blood donation reluctance among university students. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 312 university students to gather data on the reasons for reluctance to donate blood. The survey included questions on demographics, knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs regarding blood donation. Data pre-processing involved handling missing values and converting categorical responses into a numerical format suitable for machine learning analysis. K-means clustering was applied to categorize the responses into distinct groups. The optimal number of clusters was determined using silhouette scores, which resulted in the identification of eight distinct clusters. The eight clusters represented unique concerns, ranging from health-related misconceptions to logistical barriers. Key findings indicated that certain clusters were predominantly concerned with myths about health impacts, fear of needles, and a lack of awareness regarding the blood donation process. The results underscore the need for targeted educational campaigns to address specific misconceptions and informational gaps identified within each cluster. Strategic, data-driven outreach programs could significantly mitigate these barriers and potentially increase student participation in blood donation. Future research should explore longitudinal data to assess the effectiveness of tailored interventions and expand scope of the study to include diverse demographic groups to further generalize these findings.