RESUMO
Objective: This study was conducted to assess the knowledge and attitudes regarding organ donation among Jordan University of Science and Technology students and assess their willingness to donate
Methods: A total of 389 students of both sexes in Jordan University of Science and Technology were included in this cross-sectional study. A questionnaire was used to collect information about the degree of knowledge concerning organ donation and their likelihood to donate, factors and obstacles that may influence their decisions, and whether they prefer a certain category of recipients. The content validity was ascertained from a feedback from of three experts. Chi-square test was used to test the significance of the association between willingness to donate an organ and the sociodemographic factors
Results: Only 8.3% of students reported that are highly informed about organ donation. Two thirds [68.5%] reported that they are not willing to donate an organ during their life and 33.9% reported that they are not willing to donate an organ after death. None of the studied socio-demographic factors were significantly associated with the willingness to donate an organ during life or after death. The most common reason for not being willing to donate an organ during their life was fear of deterioration of health [34.7%]. Of those who were willing to donate organs after death, 68.2% reported they were more likely to donate kidney. Of those who were willing to donate during their life, 77% reported that they more likely to donate kidney followed by cornea [30.0%] and bone marrow [27.0%]
Conclusions: Two thirds and one third of students were not willing to donate an organ during their life and after death, retrospectively. The most common reasons for not being willing to donate an organ during their life was fear of deterioration of health and the want of the body to remain complete. Religious belief was a common reason for not being willing to donate an organ after death