The influence of sociodemographic and donation behaviour characteristics on blood donation motivations.

BACKGROUND: The study of donation motivations is essential at blood transfusion centres, because of the impact of these motivations on an individual's decision to donate. The heterogeneity of donor behaviour and the overall lack of consensus on how to assess it (e.g. via terminology, grouping of items in categories) justify this research, which was conducted with the purpose of an integrated analysis of the influence of sociodemographic and donation behaviour characteristics on the prevalence of donation motivations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-five types of motivation were assessed, through an online self-administered questionnaire, in a sample of 5,353 active donors in the Canary Islands (Spain). A series of tests focused on the differences in means was performed in order to analyse how the donor profile affects donation motivations. As a preliminary step, the validity and reliability of the proposed motivation scale, holistic and integrative in nature, were demonstrated. RESULTS: Variations in donation motivations do exist. Blood transfusion centres should target their efforts on donors who are over 35 years old, highly educated, with a high income and longer careers as donors, given that these are the least motivated subjects n the donor pool. DISCUSSION: The fact that the prevalence of donation motivations varies according to the donor profile demonstrates the need to identify the most relevant motivations and, furthermore, which population groups are affected by these motivations. Blood transfusion centres should design differentiated marketing actions in order to achieve greater effectiveness and efficiency when using their budgets.

Recruitment strategies: non-donor segmentation based on intrinsic and extrinsic stimuli.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Non-donor behaviour can be influenced by many variables, both intrinsic and extrinsic, which differ among individuals. The aim of this study was therefore to segment Spanish non-donors based on criteria such as barriers and motivations, which influence the decision to donate for the first time, with the aim of improving the efficiency and effectiveness of recruitment actions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 2383 non-donors residing in Spain evaluated 21 barriers and 25 motivations through an online self-administered survey distributed by blood transfusion centres, which are responsible for donations in Spain, and several Spanish universities. After validating these scales and determining the underlying categories in each of them, latent class/profile analysis was performed to segment non-donors. RESULTS: Spanish non-donors were divided into six clusters. According to their barriers and motivations, the following labels were assigned: (1) 'Impure altruists', (2) 'I want to, but make it easy for me', (3) 'Free-riders', (4) 'Reciprocal altruists', (5) 'I can't because I'm scared' and (6) 'I want to, but I can't'. Specific marketing actions were proposed for each cluster based on their characteristics, prioritizing them depending on their attractiveness. CONCLUSION: The scales which were designed to evaluate barriers and motivations make a solid contribution to the existing literature due to their holistic, integrative nature. The existence of differentiated clusters and the lack of resources of blood transfusion centres make it clear that there is a need to define and implement targeted marketing strategies.

Segmenting Active Blood Donors According to Their Barriers to Develop Retention Programs.

Given the lack of a consensus on a catalogue of donation barriers, this study proposes a holistic scale of barriers which was used to segment Spanish active blood donors to define specific retention and loyalty strategies. A sample of 26 626 active donors from 14 of the 17 Spanish blood transfusion centers assessed a total of 25 barriers through an online survey. This scale was validated and 4 barrier categories were defined: Informative, Intrinsic, Time-space and Procedural. Segmentation was performed through k-means clustering. Four active donor clusters were created: (1) "Very Inhibited" (13.2%), who experienced a high number of barriers in all categories; (2) "Uninhibited" (46.9%), which was the largest cluster with fewer barriers; (3) "Apprehensive" (16.9%), whose most prevalent barriers were Informative and Intrinsic in nature; and (4) "Busy" (23.0%), who experienced mainly Time-space and Informative barriers. Afterward, depending on the size of the cluster, the presence of barriers, and the greater ease or difficulty to act on them, the attractiveness of each cluster was established to propose specific marketing actions.

A motivation-based explanatory model of street drinking among young people.

This social marketing study focuses on street drinking behavior among young people. The objective is to divide the market of young people who engage in this activity into segments according to their motivations. For the three segments identified, a behavior model is created using the beliefs, attitudes, behavior, and social belonging of young people who engage in street drinking. The methodology used individual questionnaires filled in by a representative sample of young people. The results show that the behavior model follows the sequence of attitudes-beliefs-behavior and that social belonging influences these three variables. Similarly, differences are observed in the behavior model depending on the segment individuals belong to.

Achieving donor repetition and motivation by block leaders among current blood donors.

This paper presents an explicative model on the recommendation of donating blood made to relatives and friends by current donors. This model establishes satisfaction and intention to return as direct antecedents, and the quality perceived in the donation process and the existence of inhibitors as indirect antecedents. The results show that (1) the perceived quality has a positive influence on satisfaction and intention to return; (2) the intention to donate again depends positively on satisfaction, but negatively on the existence of internal and external inhibitors; and lastly (3) the recommendation to donate depends on donor satisfaction and their intention to return to donate, this being the most influential factor. At the same time, we contrasted how the model does not vary, whether it is a first-time donor or a repeat donor.

[Marketing as a tool to increase the effectiveness of public health plans. 2008 SESPAS Report]. / El marketing como herramienta para incrementar la eficacia de los planes de salud pública. Informe SESPAS 2008.

Recent years have seen a steady increase in social marketing applied to health with the aim of increasing public awareness and changing people's behavior. Programs or actions based on the principles of social marketing have been shown to be effective in improving public health. However, that is not the general rule in Spain, where health policies have been based on health plans directed more to economic efficiency than to citizens' needs. For a health marketing program to be effective, the following factors are necessary: 1) the program has a long-term temporal horizon for action; 2) the objectives are established in terms of behavioral changes; 3) market research is used as a source of information; 4) different actions are established according to the segments identified as targets; 5) the program is operationalized in the four variables of the marketing mix, namely, product, price, distribution and communication, and is not only based on advertising campaigns; 6) the core of the program is exchange, understood as the factors that motivate people to change in return for the promise of something beneficial to them; 7) the factors or forces that compete with the desired behavioral changes are neutralized, and 8) businesses' social responsibility is used as a mechanism to reinforce health improvement programs. The design of health marketing programs should include definition of strategic and operational actions aimed not only at potential adopters of the desired behavior but also at all agents who may help or hinder behavioral change (health professionals, the pharmaceutical industry, politicians, the advertising industry, and products and services with health-challenging objectives).

El marketing como herramienta para incrementar la eficacia de los planes de salud pública. Informe SESPAS 2008 / Marketing as a tool to increase the effectiveness of public health plans. 2008 SESPAS Report

El marketing social aplicado a la salud está emergiendo confuerza en los últimos años con el objeto de incrementar la concienciaciónpública y promover cambios en las conductas delas personas. Se ha demostrado que los programas o intervencionesque están fundamentados en los principios básicosdel marketing social son efectivos para mejorar la salud pública,aunque ésta no suele ser la pauta generalizada en lapráctica en España, donde las políticas de salud se han basadomás en planes con un enfoque más orientado a la eficienciaeconómica que a las necesidades de las personas. Paraque un programa de marketing de salud sea eficaz es necesarioque contemple los siguientes aspectos: a) que el programatenga un horizonte temporal de actuación a largo plazo; b) losobjetivos se establezcan en términos de cambios de conducta;c) se utilice la investigación de mercado como fuente deinformación; d) se establezcan acciones diferenciadas en funciónde los segmentos que se identifiquen como públicos objetivo;e) el programa se operativice en las 4 variables del marketingmix –producto, precio, distribución y comunicación– yno sólo sustentar los programas en campañas publicitarias;f) el intercambio sea el eje del programa, entendido como aquelloque motive a las personas voluntariamente a cambiar, ofreciéndolesalgo beneficioso como contrapartida; g) se contrarrestenlos factores o fuerzas que compiten con los cambiosde conducta deseados, y h) se utilice la responsabilidad socialde las empresas como mecanismo de refuerzo de los programasde mejora de la salud. En el diseño de los programas de marketing de salud sedeben definir acciones estratégicas y operativas no sólo dirigidasa los adoptantes de las conductas deseadas, sino tambiéna todos los agentes que puedan favorecer o dificultar elcambio (profesionales de la salud, industria farmacéutica, políticos,sector publicitario y empresas de productos y servicioscon objetivos contrapuestos a la salud)(AU)

Recent years have seen a steady increase in social marketingapplied to health with the aim of increasing public awarenessand changing people’s behavior. Programs or actions basedon the principles of social marketing have been shown to beeffective in improving public health. However, that is not thegeneral rule in Spain, where health policies have been basedon health plans directed more to economic efficiency than tocitizens’ needs.For a health marketing program to be effective, the followingfactors are necessary: 1) the program has a long-term temporalhorizon for action; 2) the objectives are established interms of behavioral changes; 3) market research is used asa source of information; 4) different actions are established accordingto the segments identified as targets; 5) the programis operationalized in the four variables of the marketing mix,namely, product, price, distribution and communication, andis not only based on advertising campaigns; 6) the core of theprogram is exchange, understood as the factors that motivatepeople to change in return for the promise of something beneficialto them; 7) the factors or forces that compete with thedesired behavioral changes are neutralized, and 8) businesses’social responsibility is used as a mechanism to reinforcehealth improvement programs.The design of health marketing programs should include definitionof strategic and operational actions aimed not only atpotential adopters of the desired behavior but also at all agentswho may help or hinder behavioral change (health professionals,the pharmaceutical industry, politicians, the advertisingindustry, and products and services with health-challengingobjectives)(AU)

Potential donor segregation to promote blood donation.

This work is set in the field of social marketing and more specifically in the context of blood donation. Its principal objective focuses on segregating potential donors by using the inhibitors or barriers to a blood donation behaviour as criteria. Moreover, an analysis of the predisposition to donate blood, the intrinsic and extrinsic motivations for donating blood, and the incentives that may stimulate their donation conduct was conducted for each of the four identified groups. The results reveal that the four segments differ significantly in their predisposition to donate, in their motivations and in the incentives that encourage them to donate blood.