Blood, sweat, and fears: Athletes' perceptions of blood donation and engagement in physical activity.
athletes
donation
perceptions
Journal
Transfusion
ISSN: 1537-2995
Titre abrégé: Transfusion
Pays: United States
ID NLM: 0417360
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
27 Nov 2023
27 Nov 2023
Historique:
revised:
08
11
2023
received:
17
08
2023
accepted:
08
11
2023
pubmed:
27
11
2023
medline:
27
11
2023
entrez:
27
11
2023
Statut:
aheadofprint
Résumé
Athletes are a key group from which likely eligible donors could be sourced. While blood donation has been popularized as detrimental to athletic performance, little is known about how athletes perceive blood donation. The aim of this study was to investigate athletes' perceptions of the impacts of donating blood on their athletic performance and whether these influence their engagement with blood donation. A total of 175 athletes (78 donors; 97 non-donors) prescreened as eligible to donate blood in Australia completed an online survey assessing the perceived impact of (i) donating blood on engagement and performance in physical activity (type of impact, direction, and duration) and (ii) engaging in physical activity on blood donation (magnitude of impact and modification of behavior). We found that 37%-39% of our sample indicated that they had considered the impact of donating blood on their engagement or performance in physical activity, with the impact seen as negative but short term. Fatigue was the most commonly identified impact of donation on performance in physical activity. While the impact of donating did not account for athletes' non-donor status, many donors noted changing their engagement in physical activity pre- and post-donation to allow recovery, and aligning blood donation with their training schedule. Athletes are a key community from which likely eligible donors could be sourced, however a significant proportion of athletes perceive that donating will negatively impact their athletic performance. Strategies to engage athletes with donation should acknowledge and facilitate athletes need to align their training with donating.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
BACKGROUND
Athletes are a key group from which likely eligible donors could be sourced. While blood donation has been popularized as detrimental to athletic performance, little is known about how athletes perceive blood donation. The aim of this study was to investigate athletes' perceptions of the impacts of donating blood on their athletic performance and whether these influence their engagement with blood donation.
STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS
METHODS
A total of 175 athletes (78 donors; 97 non-donors) prescreened as eligible to donate blood in Australia completed an online survey assessing the perceived impact of (i) donating blood on engagement and performance in physical activity (type of impact, direction, and duration) and (ii) engaging in physical activity on blood donation (magnitude of impact and modification of behavior).
RESULTS
RESULTS
We found that 37%-39% of our sample indicated that they had considered the impact of donating blood on their engagement or performance in physical activity, with the impact seen as negative but short term. Fatigue was the most commonly identified impact of donation on performance in physical activity. While the impact of donating did not account for athletes' non-donor status, many donors noted changing their engagement in physical activity pre- and post-donation to allow recovery, and aligning blood donation with their training schedule.
DISCUSSION
CONCLUSIONS
Athletes are a key community from which likely eligible donors could be sourced, however a significant proportion of athletes perceive that donating will negatively impact their athletic performance. Strategies to engage athletes with donation should acknowledge and facilitate athletes need to align their training with donating.
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Subventions
Organisme : Australian Red Cross Lifeblood
Informations de copyright
© 2023 The Authors. Transfusion published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of AABB.
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