Introduction The availability of donated blood in Uganda rests on the good will of voluntary blood donors. To design interventions aimed at improving the availability of donated blood, there is need to understand the predictors of blood donation. Previous studies have shown that intention to donate blood predicts the practice of blood donation. Aim This study aimed at applying the theory of planned behaviour to predict intention to donate blood among secondary school students, the major blood donor group in Uganda. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study among 336 students from four purposively selected secondary schools in Eastern Uganda. Census sampling was used to recruit the students for this study. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on socio-demographic characteristics as well as the theory of planned behavior constructs. Data were analyzed in STATA version 14 using descriptive statistics and regressions. Results About 75% (n=252) of the students had intention to donate blood sometime in their life. Students’ perceptions of their ability to donate blood (perceived behavioural control) was the key predictor of intention to donate blood (AOR = 6.35, CI =3.32, 12.15). The influence of subjective norms (AOR = 1.97, CI = 0.92, 4.20) and attitudes towards blood donation (AOR = 1.51, CI = 0.80, 2.87) did not significantly influence blood donation adjusting for other theory of planned behaviour constructs. The theory of planned behaviour constructs explained 15.5% of the students’ intention to donate blood. Regarding the external factors, only location of the school (AOR = 0.50, CI = 0.27, 0.93) and knowing someone who has ever donated (AOR = 0.26, CI = 0.12, 0.56) predicted the intention to donate blood. Conclusion Most students intended to donate blood sometime in their life. Efforts should be made to make blood donation sites accessible to students.

The authors have declared no competing interest.

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Makerere University, School of Public Health Research and Ethics Committee and the Uganda National Council of Science and Technology

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