Attitudes Toward Living Organ Donation and Willingness to Be a Living Organ Donor Among Chinese Citizens in 3 Cities

Objective

The level of awareness of living organ donation demonstrated by citizens may affect the rate of organ transplantation in their area of residence. The objective of this study was to assess the attitudes toward living organ donation and willingness to be a living organ donor among Chinese citizens.

Methods

The study population consisted of 2250 citizens in Beijing, Shanghai, and Wuhan. Data were collected using a questionnaire developed by the researchers based on the existing literature and expert opinions. The questionnaire included questions designed to assess demographics, attitudes, and willingness. The data were analyzed using SPSS 22.0 software.

Results

Overall, 2198 citizens completed the questionnaire, of whom 845 (38.4%) supported living organ donation; however, only 213 (9.6%) participants were supportive of their family members donating living organs. A total of 424 (19.3%) citizens were willing to be living organ donors. Of the respondents, 1173 (53.4%) were neutral toward living organ donation and 1463 (66.6%) were undecided about their willingness to donate. In addition, willingness was positively correlated with age, education level, income, marital status, and having descendants (P < .05). Those who had relatives or friends who had undergone organ transplantation were significantly more likely to be donors than those who did not (P < .05).

Conclusions

The results of our study suggest that Chinese citizens lack an understanding of living organ transplantation, indicating that more work needs to be done to inform the public about organ transplantation in China.