Abstract
BACKGROUND: Blood transfusion is an essential part of modern health care. In Ethiopia, it had been planned to collect 202,000 units of blood in 2016-2017, but the actual amount collected was 169,744. The Bayesian approach has an advantage in that estimation of model parameters is conducted based on posterior distribution. This study aimed to assess the practice of blood donation and associated factors among adults of Gondar city, northwest Ethiopia using Bayesian analysis. METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 554 Gondar adults from February to March 2019. Bayesian binary logistic regression was conducted to assess the relationship between independent and dependent variables using Stata 15 with a 95% CI for statistical significance. RESULTS: A total of 515 were involved with a 97% response rate, among which 342 (66.4%) were females. Eighty (15.53%) had donated blood at least once in their lives. Men were more likely to donate blood (AOR 1.79, 95% CI 1.11-3.12), while those aged 18-24 years were 57% (AOR 0.43, 95% CI 0.15-0.89) less likely to give blood. Individuals with good knowledge (AOR 2.56, 95% CI 1.32-4.53) and favorable attitudes (AOR 1.86, 95% CI 1.01-3.06) were more likely to donate blood. CONCLUSION: The majority of the participants did not donate blood. Male sex, age 18-24 years, good knowledge, and favorable attitudes were statistically significant factors in blood donation. Intervention with females and younger age-groups should shall be better administered. Health education is required to increase knowledge and create a favorable attitudes among the community.