Attitudes to organ donation among South Asians in an English high street

Abstract

SUMMARYIn the UK, people of South Asian origin are at more than twice the risk of end-stage renal failure encountered in the Caucasian population but are under-represented among organ donors. Difficulties with matching mean that few donated kidneys are suitable for transplantation to South Asian recipients. A survey of attitudes in 100 South Asian adults was conducted in the main street of Southall, Middlesex. 90 of those questioned were aware of organ transplantation and 69 had heard about donor cards. However, the 16% who carried a donor card was lower than the 28% reported in the general population. The main reason for the low organ donation rate by South Asians seemed to be lack of knowledge, and this could be remedied by more targeting of information in the Asian media.

Cultural Attitudes towards Death Practices, the Body after Death and Life after Death in Deceased Organ Donation - A UK Polish Migrant Perspective

“…This phenomenon has been cited as a barrier in the donation of certain organs in some cultural and religious groups [23,[42][43][44]. However, in the present study, a minority of participants held the gnostic attitude through the Cartesian philosophy regarding the eyes and heart as not having 'special meaning' as the 'self ' has been liberated and separated from the 'body' upon death.…”

The meanings of organ donation: Muslims of Pakistani origin and white English nationals living in North England

“…Moreover, people, especially some women, can be worried that having a transplant may affect them in negative ways related to disease or personality change. In addition, in spite of a Fatwa stating that the giving and receiving of organs is compatible with Islam, many Muslims appear to be unsure if organ donation is allowed (see also Ahmed et al, 1999;Randhawa, 1998;Sheikh & Dhami, 2000). In the following paragraphs we discuss our findings in relation to our research aim of exploring the meanings of organ donation, comparing people across gender and across two ethnic groups, with particular emphasis on donation of the heart and eyes.…”

“…Ahmed, Harris and Brown's (1999) The meanings of organ donation counterparts for a kidney transplant due to the necessity of blood group matching (Carlisle, 1995).…”

“…Of the white English, 29% carried a card, which is similar to that of the general population. No Muslim participant carried a card, although three indicated that they would be willing to do so and two had done so previously which, if taken into account, makes this sample comparable with the UK South Asian population (Ahmed et al, 1999). A range of social economic status (SES) was sampled and, as far as possible, white English participants were matched on SES with respect to their Muslim counterparts (Black, Townsend, Davidson & Whitehead, 1988).…”

“…Ahmed, Harris and Brown's (1999) survey suggests that only 16% of South Asians living in the UK carry an organ donor card. Moreover, in the most recent audit, only 2% of Muslims were recorded as having consented to donation (Transplant Co-ordinators Association, 1995).…”