[Social structure of the donor sample of a district blood donation and transfusion institute].

The change from paid blood donation to that made within the Red Cross Organization at the Erfurt District Institute for Blood Donation and Transfusion Service is reflected in the altered composition of the donor population. Team A (n = 4903) consists of "traditional" paid blood donors and Red Cross blood donors. It is characterized as follows: - approximately equal percentage of men and women, - high percentage of working class people with skilled worker's certificate. Women are relatively less frequent among blood donors than men, they are more frequently represented, however, as Red Cross blood donors. Team B (n = 759) covers all new blood donors since 1986, exclusively Red Cross blood donors. It is characterized as follows: - women are represented by 69% (predominantly female students), - the highest percentage (42%) of the team is made up of students. The percentage of blood donors from working class people with a skilled worker's certificate correspond to GDR average. Among the donors graduates from technical colleges and universities are overrepresented, whereas trained working class people with a skilled worker's certificate and those without it are underrepresented. Members of the staff of the municipal health service and Medical Academy as well as students of medicine and education made up the highest percentage of blood donors. About 17% of all members of the medical health service are blood donors, far more than in other branches of Erfurt.