Understanding the relationship between knowledge and African Americans' donation decision-making

Objective: To explore the association between different types of knowledge related to donation and transplantation and the expression of donation intentions via one's driver's license, a donor card, or sharing one's wishes with family. Methods: Cross-sectional data were gathered via self-administered questionnaire from 425 Black adults, age 18 years and older who were recruited from nine churches in a large metropolitan area in the southeast United States. Results: Results indicate that knowledge of the allocation system and experiential knowledge of a transplant recipient are associated with donation intentions after controlling for age, gender, and highest level of education. However, the following types of knowledge were unrelated to donation intentions: donation-related statistics (including an understanding of African Americans' overrepresentation among those in need), the donation process, the process for determining medical suitability, and religious institutions' support for donation. Conclusions: Findings suggest that the relationship between donation-related knowledge and donation intentions is complex and may depend on the specific type of knowledge being measured. Practice implications: Knowledge of the allocation system and experiential knowledge of a recipient may be critical aspects of the donation decision-making process. Research findings suggest the need for an educational approach that seeks to improve the specific types of knowledge that are most strongly associated with donation intentions.(C) 2007 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.