Davis K, Durand R, Atkins L, Vincent I, Holtzman S, Durand R; Academy for Health Services Research and Health Policy. Meeting.
Abstr Acad Health Serv Res Health Policy Meet. 2001; 18: 14.
Healthcare Administration, University of Houston-Clear Lake, 2700 Bay Area Boulevard, Houston, Texas 77058, Phone: (281) 283-3141, Fax: (713) 726-1810, E-mail: Durand@cl.uh.edu
RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: Donation rates for transplantable organs and consent rates for organ donation continue to lag among African Americans in the United States relative to those of other ethnic/racial groups. Such rates are a vital problem for the supply of organs available for transplantation. In this study Prochaska's model of motivational changes is used to determine the inclination to donate organs among African Americans. Both signing donor cards and informing one's family about one's donation wishes are investigated.STUDY DESIGN: The results of this study are based upon a representative telephone survey of 376 African American residents of Harris County (Houston), Texas, selected by random digit dialing techniques. The survey was conducted in mid-October of 2000.POPULATION STUDIED: African American residents age 18 and older of Harris County (Houston), Texas.PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: About 18% of those interviewed had signed a donor card ("action" motivational stage) indicating a desire to donate their organs upon death; most of these (14% of the 18%) further indicated no intention to change that decision ("maintenance" motivational stage). About 13% of respondents reportedly were prepared to sign a card ("preparation" motivational stage) and another 9% reported they were thinking about it ("contemplation" motivational stage). On the other hand, 56% of those interviewed had never thought about signing a donor card ("pre-contemplation" motivational stage). With regard to informing one's family of a desire to donate organs upon death, 12% of subjects had done so ("action"), 24% were prepared to do so ("preparation"), and 15% were thinking about it ("contemplation"). At the opposite extreme, 43% had never thought about talking with their family about donation ("pre-contemplation").CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that several stages of motivation exist with regard to signing a donor card and informing one's family about donation wishes among African Americans. They also suggest considerable variation in the number of persons found in each motivational stage. Further, the findings indicate the demographic chacteristics of African Americans in each motivational stage and, therefore, provide some evidence of how people move through decision stages.IMPLICATIONS FOR POLICY, DELIVERY, OR PRACTICE: The results of this study suggest the importance of designing educational/informational programs appropriate to the motivational stage in order to increase organ donation. The results of this study help practitioners move African Americans persons from a "pre-contemplation" motivational stage to one of "contemplation." This requires both a different message and a different communication medium than moving one from "preparation" to "action." The results also suggest that it may be necessary to move "pre-contemplators" through several successive motivational stages before they become committed organ donors. This can be done quickly.PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: Division of Transplantation, Health Resources and Services Administration, Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- African Americans
- Brain Death
- Communication
- Data Collection
- Death
- Family
- Humans
- Interviews as Topic
- Texas
- Tissue Donors
- Tissue Transplantation
- Tissue and Organ Harvesting
- Tissue and Organ Procurement
- United States
- transplantation
- hsrmtgs
Other ID:
UI: 102273068
From Meeting Abstracts