Awareness and Attitude towards Organ Donation: A Community Survey in Urban and Rural Populations, from Sangli district of Maharashtra

Abstract

Introduction: Timely organ transplantation can save many lives as well as better the quality of life for many more. However there is scarcity of organ donation in India. Hence the current research was planned to study, awareness and attitude of the people towards organ donation. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the rural and urban residents in Sangli district (Maharashtra, India). Informed consent was taken. Self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Study period was July to September 2018. The sampling technique used was convenience sampling. Descriptive statistics, chi-square test and Binary logistic regression were used for statistical analysis. Results: Four hundred and ten participants were included in final analysis. Good knowledge regarding organ donation was observed in 130 (31.7%) participants, while 261 (63.7%) had good attitude. On applying binary logistic regression; residence and education were best predictors of knowledge regarding organ donation. While knowledge was the best predictor for attitude towards organ donation. Conclusion: Knowledge can bring about change in attitude towards organ donation, hence concentrated efforts should be made to raise the awareness.