Aging Population a Threat to Canadian Blood Supply: Study

The Canadian Press

October 13, 2009

Canada

 
COLIN MCCONNELL/TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO

Nurse Marianne de Bretan-Berg, nurse at the Southlake Regional Health Centre, Newmarket, takes blood from Michael Tighe to prepare for his heart surgery. A new study says Canada's aging population means fewer blood donors.

The greying of Canada's population could pose a serious problem for the country's future blood supply because a high proportion of donors are adolescents and young adults, a study by McMaster University researchers warns.

The study, published in the International Journal of Health Geographics, used records from Canadian Blood Services to examine what factors have an impact on donation.

Less than four per cent of eligible donors give blood, even though almost every single Canadian will require donated blood at some point in their lifetime, the researchers say.

They found those aged 15 to 24 were the most likely to donate, while those who are typically more entrenched in the workforce – aged 25 to 54 – were the least likely to give blood.

"Like other countries, Canada's population is aging and the implications of this need to be better understood from the perspective of blood supply," lead researcher Antonio Paez, an assistant professor of geography and earth sciences, said in a release Tuesday.

"So while younger people are more likely to donate, they are also a declining share of Canada's population."

The study also found that immigrants and the wealthy are less likely to donate, while English-speaking Canadians, highly educated individuals or those employed in health-related occupations are more likely to give blood.

Canadians living in small cities or towns were far more likely to donate than people who live in larger, metropolitan cities, the researchers added.

"Blood products are an essential component of modern medicine and necessary to support many life-saving and life-prolonging procedures," Paez said. "To achieve sustainable levels of donations, there needs to be targeted campaigns to encourage a greater number of Canadians to consider blood donation."

The researchers found that about one-quarter of Canadians believe there are risks associated with giving blood and suggest an aggressive education campaign would help expand the eligible donor database, which is estimated at 12.5 million people.

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