Applying a modified and extended theory of planned behavior to predict blood donation intentions among Chinese university students: An empirical investigation

BACKGROUND: The blood shortage in China has become a nationwide issue, which poses a threat to critical medical treatments and puts patients at risk. To address this problem, blood donation recruitment and retention campaigns have been launched, with university students being recognized as an important target audience. To recruit this particular population effectively, it is crucial to comprehend their motivations for donating blood. METHODS: This study used a modified and extended Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behavior to explain the determinants of blood donation intention among N = 1165 China's young adults through an online cross-sectional survey, utilizing a snowball sampling technique to recruit participants. RESULTS: In line with previous TPB-based studies, we found positive associations between attitude (β = 0.071, p < .01), subjective norms (β = 0.264, p < .001), and self-efficacy (β = 0.536, p < .001) with blood donation intention. Attitude and self-efficacy mediated the relationships between anxiety, altruism, and social norm with blood donation intention (β = 0.817, p < .01, 95%CI [0.737, 0.909]; β = 1.31, p < .01, 95%CI [1.203, 1.409]; β = 1.301, p < .01, 95%CI [1.209, 1.403]). Attitude also mediated the relationship between altruism and social norm with blood donation intention (β = .456, p < .01, 95%CI [0.38, 0.53]; β = 0.447, p < .01, 95%CI [0.374, 0.52]). CONCLUSION: Our results highlight the significance of utilizing communication strategies, such as promoting altruism and reducing donation anxiety, as well as creating a supportive social environment. These strategies can improve attitudes and intentions toward blood donation, leading to an increase in blood donation rates.