Increasing Intent to Donate in Hispanic American High School Students: Results of a Prospective Observational Study

• Published in: Transplantation proceedings Vol. 45; no. 1; pp. 13 - 19
• Main Authors: Salim, A, Berry, C, Ley, E.J, Liou, D.Z, Schulman, D, Navarro, S, Zheng, L, Chan, L.S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 2013
• Subjects: Adolescent; Attitude to Health; Cross-Sectional Studies; Cultural Characteristics; Female; Health Communication; Health Education; Hispanic Americans - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Intention; Male; Religion; Residence Characteristics; Risk Factors; Schools; Students - statistics & numerical data; Surgery; Surveys and Questionnaires; Tissue and Organ Procurement; Tissue Donors - education
• ISSN: 0041-1345; 1873-2623
• DOI: 10.1016/j.transproceed.2012.08.009

Abstract Background High school students are an important target audience for organ donation education. A novel educational intervention focused on Hispanic American (HA) high school students might improve organ donation rates. Methods A prospective observational study was conducted in five Los Angeles High Schools with a high percentage of HA students. A “culturally sensitive” educational program was administered to students in grades 9 to 12. Preintervention surveys that assessed awareness, knowledge, perception, and beliefs regarding donation as well as the intent to become an organ donor were compared to postintervention surveys. Results A total of 10,146 high school students participated in the study. After exclusions, 4876 preintervention and 3182 postintervention surveys were analyzed. A significant increase in the overall knowledge, awareness, and beliefs regarding donation was observed after the intervention, as evidenced by a significant increase in the percentage of correct answers on the survey (41% pre- versus 44% postintervention, P < .0001). When specifically examining HA students, there was a significant increase in the intent to donate organs (adjusted odds ratio 1.21, 95% confidence interval: 1.09, 1.34, P = .0003). Conclusion This is the first study to demonstrate a significant increase in the intent to donate among HA high school students following an educational intervention.