Blood Donation Rates in the United States 1999-2016: From the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
BACKGROUND
Although there have been analyses on the qualities associated with individuals who chose to repeatedly donate blood, there is little known about national blood donation rates in the United States. To address this lack of information, this article uses data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) to assess changes in the national rates of blood donation among adults aged 20 years and older.


METHODS
Data was collected from 49,512 US adults aged 20 years and older who were surveyed from 1999 to 2016 through the NHANES. Individuals selected for inclusion in NHANES underwent an in-home interview, where they were asked whether or not they participated in blood donation in the past 12 months. Data were analyzed with SAS and Wald-chi square tests were used to assess trends in recent blood donations.


RESULTS
The overall recent blood donation rate has hovered around 6% since 1999, with no significant change during that time period. Over the last 2 decades, the percentage of individuals aged 20 to 29 years with a recent blood donation has increased significantly. During the same time period, the percentage of individuals aged 30 to 39 years and individuals with a 4-year college degree or greater with a recent blood donation decreased significantly.


CONCLUSIONS
Although the national blood donation rate has not changed significantly, significant changes in donation rates have occurred among a number of US subpopulations.
['Twarog|John P|JP|', 'Russo|Ashley T|AT|', 'McElroy|Tara C|TC|', 'Peraj|Elizabet|E|', 'McGrath|Martin P|MP|', 'Davidow|Austin C|AC|']
D000328:Adult D001782:Blood Donors D005260:Female D006801:Humans D008297:Male D008875:Middle Aged D009749:Nutrition Surveys D014481:United States D055815:Young Adult
Blood Donors Blood Transfusion Hospitalists Nutrition Surveys Population Health