Knowledge, Attitudes, and Predictors of Posthumous Organ Donation Card Registration in University Student

Authors
Gh. Masoudy 1
F. Saeidinejad 2
H. Ansari 1
H. Izadirad 1
1 Health Promotion Research Center, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
2 Department of Biostatistics Epidemiology, Faculty of Health, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
10.58209/hehp.13.4.703
Abstract
Aims: Donation after brain death serves as the most effective source of transplantable organs. However, Iran experiences a concerning disparity between potential and actual donors, with an alarming shortfall in conversion rates despite numerous annual brain death cases. This study aimed to evaluate knowledge, attitudes, experiences, and predictors of organ donor card registration among non-medical students in southeastern Iran.

Instrument & Methods: This cross-sectional study employing multi-stage random sampling was conducted from June 2022 to June 2023 at the University of Sistan and Baluchestan. Data collection utilized a validated questionnaire with strong content validity (content validity ratio>0.8, content validity ratio>0.62) and internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha: 0.71 for knowledge, 0.70 for attitude). Analysis incorporated descriptive statistics and analytical methods, including logistic regression, with significance set at p<0.05.

Findings: Among 320 participants (mean age: 22.49±2.11 years), females predominated (53.4%). Most students pursued Bachelor’s degrees (90.6%) in Social Sciences (51.6%). Only 11.9% were registered donors. Knowledge levels were primarily moderate (53.1%), while attitudes were largely positive (96.6% moderate-to-good). The regression model (Nagelkerke R²=0.52) identified personal experiences as the sole significant registration predictor (odds ratio: 3.86, 95% confidence interval: 2.43-6.13, p<0.001).

Conclusion: Personal experience with organ donation is the main predictor of registering for a posthumous organ donation card among non-medical students, while knowledge and attitudes do not predict behavior, highlighting an intention–behavior gap.

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Subjects

Health Education and Health Promotion
Volume 13, Issue 4
Autumn 2025
Pages 703-710