The current policy for blood donation
in the US with respect to men who have sex with men (MSM) is that
any man who discloses having had sex with another man since 1977
(MSM77) is deferred indefinitely from donating. Any potential
change to the MSM policy for blood donation requires additional
data that is not currently available. One study from Sweden sought
to directly assess the MSM and blood donation by surveying the MSM
population. In this 2007 study, 19% of 334 MSM who responded
reported donating blood at some time since 1985.Another study
conducted in 2009-2010 from the UK reported that 10.6% of 1028 MSM
who completed a survey had donated blood even though they were
ineligible according to the existing lifetime deferral policy in
the UK, and 2.5% of sexually active MSM had donated within the
previous year. The UK policy has now been changed and a 1-year
deferral for sexually active MSM has been adopted. In the US,
motivating factors and compliance or not with the current policy
are unstudied aspects of the larger issue. In the proposed study,
data directly relevant to this issue will be collected through the
assessment of motivations for blood donation in the MSM population
using focus group participants as key informants. Surveys of MSM
and of male blood donors in the communities where Recipient
Epidemiology and Donor Evaluation Study (REDS-III) blood centers
are located will be conducted to estimate the prevalence of
compliance and non-compliance with the current policy using
web-based surveys, and to assess intended compliance with a
potentially modified MSM policy. A final component of the project
will seek to conduct telephone interviews of persons who report
both MSM and blood donation to determine primary drivers for MSM
who actually do donate blood. These studies will provide a
currently unavailable assessment of this topic in the US and can
also help to guide improved communication strategies with potential
donors.
US Code:
42
USC 285b Name of Law: NHLBI Legislative Authority
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.