Enhancing behavioral intentions toward body donation through a theory of planned behavior-based, culturally tailored...

Body donation remains crucial for medical education and research, yet donor shortages persist worldwide, often due to limited awareness and cultural barriers. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) offers a robust framework to understand and influence donation intentions. This study evaluates the efficacy of a culturally sensitive, TPB-based educational intervention aimed at enhancing behavioral determinants related to body donation among adults in India.

A quasi-experimental pre-post design was employed with 163 adult participants. The multi-component intervention included multimedia educational materials, peer discussions, motivational media, and practical guidance on registration. Participants completed a validated, bilingual TPB questionnaire assessing knowledge, attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and behavioral intentions immediately before and after the intervention. Statistical analyses involved paired-sample t-tests to compare pre- and post-intervention scores, multiple linear regression to identify predictors of behavioral intention, and subgroup analyses examining sociodemographic influences.

Post-intervention assessments revealed statistically significant improvements across all TPB constructs (all p < 0.001). Knowledge increased markedly from a mean score of 2.7 to 3.8 (on a 0-4 scale), corresponding to a large effect size (Cohen's d = 1.25). Attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control all showed medium effect sizes (d = 0.65-0.70). Multiple regression indicated that attitude (β = 0.40, p < 0.001), subjective norms (β = 0.32, p < 0.01), and perceived behavioral control (β = 0.26, p < 0.01) were independent predictors of post-intervention intention, jointly explaining 52% of the variance (R² = 0.52). Notably, willingness or intention to donate increased to 66% post-intervention, with higher readiness observed among participants with prior knowledge, urban residence, male gender, higher education, and older age.

The TPB-based, culturally tailored educational intervention effectively enhanced knowledge and psychosocial determinants of body donation intention among Indian adults. These findings underscore the potential of theory-driven, culturally adapted programs to increase readiness for body donation, offering scalable strategies to address donor shortages in diverse cultural contexts globally.