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The influence of acculturation, medical mistrust, and perceived discrimination on knowledge about blood donation and blood donation status
Author(s) -
Renzaho Andre M.N.,
Polonsky Michael J.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
transfusion
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.045
H-Index - 132
eISSN - 1537-2995
pISSN - 0041-1132
DOI - 10.1111/trf.12476
Subject(s) - acculturation , blood donor , medicine , donation , odds ratio , family medicine , cross sectional study , demography , immigration , immunology , archaeology , pathology , sociology , economics , history , economic growth
Aim The aim of this research was to assess whether perceived discrimination, the level of acculturation, and medical mistrust are associated with knowledge about blood donation processes and blood donation status. Methods This cross‐sectional study involved 425 A frican migrants recruited in M elbourne and A delaide, A ustralia. Participants were surveyed face‐to‐face using bilingual workers to maximize the inclusion across different levels of literacy in the community. Results I n the adjusted model, the scores for knowledge about blood donation were positively associated with a longer stay in A ustralia (β = 0.12, p = 0.001), significantly higher among those with a tertiary education (β = 0.75; p = 0.049), those who came from rural areas (β = 1.54, p = 0.015), and C hristians (β = 1.83, p < 0.01) but significantly lower among those from the western A frican region (β = −1.10, p = 0.032). Scores for knowledge about blood donation were lower among those who were marginalized (β = −1.01, p = 0.026). Medical mistrust and perceived discrimination were not associated with knowledge about blood donation. Participants who were traditionally orientated were 69% less likely to have ever given blood than those who were bicultural or integrated (odds ratio [OR]: 0.31, p = 0.044), whereas the effects of perceived discrimination and medical mistrust were not significant. We also examined whether to restrict the analysis to those who had given blood in A ustralia postmigration and found that the level of acculturation and medical mistrust were not significant but that perceived discrimination, especially personal discrimination, mattered (OR = 0.63, p = 0.005). Conclusion Efforts to increase blood donation among A frican migrants need to address the issues related to perceived personal discrimination as an important intervention target.