The Interlinkage Between the Sale of Blood Plasma and Poverty in the United States

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Abstract

Objectives: In 2016, plasma centers in the United States received a record 38.3 million paid donations, more than three times greater than a decade prior. Research has begun to explore the linkage between plasma donation, poverty, and disadvantage, yet no recent systemic analysis proves this link. This study examines associations between the location of commercial plasma donation centers and the socio-economic characteristics of the communities where they situate.
Methods: While there is no unified publicly available data on the characteristics of plasma donors, locations for the nation’s more than 600 FDA-approved commercial plasma donation centers are publicly available. We geocode the location of these centers and merge with census tract level demographic data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 2011-2016 5-year estimates. Using logistic regression, we compare neighborhood characteristics—such as racial and ethnic composition, educational attainment, and poverty status—for U.S. census tracts with, and without plasma centers.
Results: Findings indicate greater odds of plasma centers in census tracts with a greater percentage of people at or near poverty 200% of poverty, a greater percentage of non-Hispanic black and Hispanic populations, and tracts with a larger population.
Conclusions: Given the significant expansion of plasma sales over the past decade, it seems reasonable to conclude that less advantaged Americans have significant demand for the opportunity to sell their blood plasma. Given the size of the industry and the clear interrelationship between the growing number of plasma centers and poverty and vulnerability, policy makers should consider the implications of this social phenomena.

Authors

• Analidis Ochoa, University of Michigan

• H. Luke Shaefer, University of Michigan

• Andrew Grogan-Kaylor, University of Michigan