The characteristics of blood donors in England and Wales
This chapter explores the characteristics of blood donors in England and Wales, considering a study made in the summer and autumn of 1967 with the assistance of the Ministry of Health and the National Blood Transfusion Service. The study examines regional trends and statistics relating to donor populations and donor reporting rates for the general public, institutions — comprising factories, offices, and universities — and the Defence Services. The general conclusion which emerges is that the donor sample broadly resembles the population in respect of age, sex, and marital status when account is taken of the possible effects of the age-incapacity and reproductive factors. Moreover, for most age groups, the general public donor is more representative of the national population than the institutional donor or the total of all donors. The institutional and Defence Services donor tends on the whole to be younger.