Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Demographic Factors Affect Willingness to Register as an Organ Donor More Than a Personal Relationship with a Transplant Candidate

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Digestive Diseases and Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

Transplant candidate caregivers (TCCs) are an under-utilized but potentially devoted pool of advocates who themselves may be recruited to register for deceased organ donation.

Aim

The purpose of this study was to assess and compare recruitment barriers to deceased donor registration efforts in TCCs and health fair attendees (HFAs).

Methods

A 42-item questionnaire assessing willingness to register as an organ donor and perceptions and knowledge about organ donation was administered to 452 participants (174 in Denver, 278 in San Francisco). Logistic regression, stratified by study site, was used to assess associations between explanatory variables and willingness to register as an organ donor.

Results

In Denver, 83 % of TCCs versus 68 % of HFAs indicated a willingness to register (p = 0.03). Controlling for study group (TCC vs HFA), predictors of willingness to register were female gender [odds ratio (OR) 2.4], Caucasian race (OR 2.3), college graduate (OR 11.1), married (OR 2.4) and higher positive perception of organ donation (OR 1.2), each p < 0.05. In San Francisco, 58 % of TCCs versus 70 % of HFAs indicated a willingness to register (p = 0.03). Controlling for study group (TCC vs HFA), predictors of willingness to register were Caucasian race (OR 3.5), college graduate (OR 2.2), married (OR 1.9), higher knowledge (OR 1.6) and higher positive perception of organ donation (OR 1.2), each p < 0.05. In both locales, Caucasians were more likely to have positive perceptions about organ donation and were more willing to register.

Conclusions

Demographic characteristics, not personal connection to a transplant candidate, explain willingness to register as an organ donor.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Wolfe RA, Merion RM, Roys EC, Port FK. Trends in organ donation and transplantation in the United States, 1998–2007. Am J Transpl. 2009;9:869–878.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Port FK. Organ donation and transplantation trends in the United States, 2001. Am J Transpl. 2003;3:7–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Wynn JJ, Alexander CE. Increasing organ donation and transplantation: the U.S. experience over the past decade. Transpl Int. 2011;24:324–332.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. SRTR. http://www.srtr.org/csr/current/nats.aspx. Accessed 15 March 2013.

  5. Coombes JM, Trotter JF. Development of the allocation system for deceased donor liver transplantation. Clin Med Res. 2005;3:87–92.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Lai M. Do we need to change our national organ donation policy? Hepatology. 2010;51:1479–1482.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Morgan S, Miller J. Communicating about gifts of life: the effect of knowledge, attitudes, and altruism on behavior and behavioral intentions regarding organ donation. J Appl Commun Res. 2002;30:163–178.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Prottas JM. Encouraging altruism: public attitudes and the marketing of organ donation. Milbank Mem Fund Q Health Soc. 1983;61:278–306.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Cohen EL, Hoffner C. Gifts of giving: the role of empathy and perceived benefits to others and self in young adults’ decisions to become organ donors. J Health Psychol. 2013;18:128–138.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Boulware LE, Ratner LE, Sosa JA, Cooper LA, LaVeist TA, Powe NR. Determinants of willingness to donate living related and cadaveric organs: identifying opportunities for intervention. Transplantation. 2002;73:1683–1691.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Boulware LE, Ratner LE, Cooper LA, Sosa JA, LaVeist TA, Powe NR. Understanding disparities in donor behavior: race and gender differences in willingness to donate blood and cadaveric organs. Med Care. 2002;40:85–95.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Siminoff LA, Gordon N, Hewlett J, Arnold RM. Factors influencing families’ consent for donation of solid organs for transplantation. JAMA. 2001;286:71–77.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Bratton C, Chavin K, Baliga P. Racial disparities in organ donation and why. Curr Opin Organ Transpl. 2011;16:243–249.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Haustein SV, Sellers MT. Factors associated with (un)willingness to be an organ donor: importance of public exposure and knowledge. Clin Transpl. 2004;18:193–200.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Yuen CC, Burton W, Chiraseveenuprapund P, et al. Attitudes and beliefs about organ donation among different racial groups. J Natl Med Assoc. 1998;90:13–18.

    CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Rady MY, McGregor JL, Verheijde JL. Mass media campaigns and organ donation: managing conflicting messages and interests. Med Health Care Philos. 2012;15:229–241.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Quick BL, Bosch D, Morgan SE. Message framing and medium considerations for recruiting newly eligible teen organ donor registrants. Am J Transpl. 2012;12:1593–1597.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Salim A, Berry C, Ley EJ, Schulman D, Navarro S, Chan LS. Utilizing the media to help increase organ donation in the Hispanic American population. Clin Transpl. 2011;25:E622–E628.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. D’Alessandro AM, Peltier JW, Dahl AJ. The impact of social, cognitive and attitudinal dimensions on college students’ support for organ donation. Am J Transpl. 2012;12:152–161.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Zheng P, Kornfield R, Olmo C, Guy J, Inadomi J, Biggins SW. Reduced effectiveness of standard recruitment for deceased organ donor registration: the need for population-specific recruitment materials. Dig Dis Sci. 2011;56:1535–1541.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Siminoff LA, Lawrence RH, Arnold RM. Comparison of black and white families’ experiences and perceptions regarding organ donation requests. Crit Care Med. 2003;31:146–151.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Siminoff LA, Burant CJ, Ibrahim SA. Racial disparities in preferences and perceptions regarding organ donation. J Gen Intern Med. 2006;21:995–1000.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Brown ER. African American present perceptions of organ donation: a pilot study. ABNF J. 2012;23:29–33.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Alden DL, Cheung AH. Organ donation and culture: a comparison of Asian American and European American beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. J Appl Soc Psychol. 2000;30:293–314.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Breitkopf CR. Attitudes, beliefs and behaviors surrounding organ donation among Hispanic women. Curr Opin Organ Transpl. 2009;14:191–195.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was funded in part by grants from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (DK076565) and from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (DK076565) to S.W.B.

Conflict of interest

None.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Outpatient Pavilion 7th Floor, 1635 Aurora Ct, Mail Stop B-154, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA

    Kirsten Regalia & Scott W. Biggins

  2. Division of Gastroenterology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Patricia Zheng, Anuj Aggarwal, Oliver Bellevue & Oren K. Fix

  3. Department of Biostatistics, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, CO, USA

    Stefan Sillau

  4. Donor Alliance, Denver, CO, USA

    Jennifer Prinz & Susan Dunn

Authors
  1. Kirsten Regalia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Patricia Zheng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Stefan Sillau
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Anuj Aggarwal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Oliver Bellevue
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Oren K. Fix
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Jennifer Prinz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Susan Dunn
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Scott W. Biggins
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Scott W. Biggins.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary material 1 (DOC 120 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Regalia, K., Zheng, P., Sillau, S. et al. Demographic Factors Affect Willingness to Register as an Organ Donor More Than a Personal Relationship with a Transplant Candidate. Dig Dis Sci 59, 1386–1391 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-014-3053-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-014-3053-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation