Regional variations in the geography of blood donation in Quebec
Research on blood donation has until now focused on individual variables of a demographic or psychological nature, such as donor motivation. However, current concepts in social and health geography are relevant to the study of blood donors in Quebec. The present study has three main objectives : 1) analyze the spatial distribution of blood donation in Quebec, 2) analyze the distances between residences and collection sites, and 3) examine the relation between the socio-demographic profiles of regional county municipalities (MRC) and the number of donors and frequency of blood donations. The methodology draws on geographic information systems and descriptive statistics (correlations, K-means) to explore the geo-demographics of blood donations over a 5-year period (2003-2008). The results highlight several regional variations between urban and rural areas and demonstrate the important contribution of suburban areas to the maintenance of the collective blood reserve. From these findings, some lines of thought and future actions are discussed, all relative to the ultimate goal of ensuring a continuing long term supply of blood.