Abstract

Background
Blood is a vital component of life, with no viable substitute, thus, individuals in need of blood must rely on blood donated by another person. Blood donation occurs when a person (donor) has his blood drawn and used for transfusion into another person who is need of blood (recipient). However, there is a concerning shortage of active blood donors to meet the growing demand, particularly in developing countries, where the limited supply is further compounded by concerns over the safety of transfusions due to the risk of transmissible infections. Despite this, there is a notable lack of research on the knowledge, attitudes, and practices surrounding blood donation among adults in Sokoto metropolis. Therefore, this study aims to assess these factors among adults in Sokoto metropolis.
Methods
A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among adults of Sokoto metropolis and a multi-stage sampling technique was employed to recruit a total of 211 study participants. Data collection was done using structured questionnaire and IBM SPSS was used for analysis.
Result
The study revealed that only 31.3% of the respondents had good knowledge of voluntary blood donation. Encouragingly, 90% of respondents exhibited a positive attitude towards blood donation while only 28% had ever donated blood. Factors associated with blood voluntary blood donation, include gender, religion, tribe, occupation, and area of residence.
Conclusion
About one-third of the respondents had knowledge of blood transfusion. To promote optimal blood donation practices general awareness campaigns and targeted outreach for women should be conducted by key health community organizations. Additionally, expanding mobile blood donation canters and blood drive campaigns is essential.

Key words: Keywords: attitude, blood donation, knowledge, practice, Sokoto