Abstract Background and Objectives Blood donors awareness about AIDS and hepatitis is of importance. The aim of this research is to determine the level of awareness, study the attitude, and assess practices towards AIDS and hepatitis infections and their transmission and prevention modes among blood donors of Kurdistan Blood Transfusion Center before and after education programs. Materials and Methods In this quasi experimental study (before-after study design), simple random sampling was used and a sample size of 200 blood donors was selected. Reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha ( a =0.86) its validity was approved by two infectious disease specialists and the scientific adviser of the study. The questionnaires were filled out before and after education programs. Data were analyzed with SPSS software and paired t tests. � Results The majority of donors were male (82.5%) and 93% were urban. 6.6% were illiterate, 68.7% diploma or lower, and 24.8% higher diploma. 28.6% were new donors, 24.6% experienced, and 46.7% repeat. There was a significant difference between general awareness, attitude and practices towards AIDS and hepatitis infection before and after educational intervention (p<0.05). Conclusions This study showed that promotion of education will improve the level of awareness, attitude and practices towards blood donors. The important point is the elimination of misconceptions about AIDS and hepatitis transmission modes in blood donors. More use of the media, particularly radio and TV, for awareness raising and practice improvement of blood donors seems imperative � Key words : Awareness, Attitude, AIDS, Hepatitis, Blood donors, Iran. |