Blood, sweat, and fears: Athletes' perceptions of blood donation and engagement in physical activity.
Transfusion
; 64(1): 24-28, 2024 01.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38010052
ABSTRACT
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 ANDMETHODS:
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:
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:
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.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Suor
/
Doação de Sangue
Limite:
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Transfusion
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Austrália