Introduction

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusions

References

Introduction

There is an acknowledged under-representation of ethnic/ racial minorities in blood donor populations in many if not most developed countries, despite otherwise well-established voluntary blood collection systems in these countries [1]. .is issue is increasingly important given the growing multicultural nature of communities, partly arising from the increased numbers of refugees relocating from developing to developed countries [2]. For example, nearly half of all Australians in 2016 were either born in another country or had at least one parent who was born in another country [3]. In the USA, population projections show continued increases in ethnic/ racial minority proportions, rising to 28.6% Hispanic or Latino and 14.3% black or African American by 2060 [4]. Efforts to increase representation of ethnic/racial minorities in blood donor populations are important for three reasons [1]:
(۱) Individuals from some minority groups may differ from a country’s majority population in terms of extended blood or tissue typing. .is underrepresentation of rare blood types is of particular concern in ensuring appropriate blood supplies to avoid alloimmunisation and effectively manage conditions, such as sickle-cell disease, which require frequent transfusions and are more common among certain ethnic/racial minority populations [5] (although it has recently been noted that in the USA, African Americans do not supply the majority of multiple antigen negative units [6]).
(۲) With demographics shifting towards an increase in individuals from different ethnic/racial minority populations, the assembly of a large group of potential new donors arises, which is important for ensuring adequate overall blood supply.
(۳) Participating in blood donation may facilitate the integration of ethnic/racial minority populations to the country’s healthcare system, thereby contributing to a reduction in health inequities for these populations [7].