Does Donor Status, Race, and Biological Sex Predict Organ Donor Registration Barriers?

The purpose of the current study was to examine differences among bodily integrity, disgust, medical mistrust, and superstition among African Americans, Caucasians, and Latinos; females and males; and registered organ donors and non-registered potential donors.

A random digit dialing phone survey was utilized to garner information pertaining to organ donation beliefs among African American (n = 200), Caucasian (n = 200), and Latino (n = 200) Chicago residents. More specifically, participants responded to measures of bodily integrity, disgust, medical mistrust, and superstition, organ donor registration status, among others.

The results indicated that African American and Latino participants were less likely to be registered organ donors than Caucasians (p < .001). In general, females maintained fewer barriers than males with respect to bodily integrity (p < .05), disgust (p = .01), and superstition (p = .01). With respect to organ donation barriers, bodily integrity (p < .0001) emerged as a central concern among those surveyed.

This study highlights the significance of audience segmentation when promoting posthumous organ and tissue donation. Specifically, the results stress the importance of constructing distinct messages to non-registered potential donors compared to messages delivered to registered donors. Moreover, different barriers surfaced among females and males as well as among African American, Caucasian, and Latino residents. It is clear that a one size fits all approach will likely not work when promoting organ and tissue donation.