Illinois Department of Motor Vehicle Customers' Reasons for (Not) Registering as an Organ Donor.

CONTEXT: Organ donation campaigns are maximized when promotional messages address salient issues among the intended audience. A diverse sample (N = 1573) was recruited to identify the reasons for (not) registering as an organ donor. OBJECTIVE: Relying on an established coding scheme, an updated explanation for why individuals register (or not) as organ donors is provided. Moreover, registration trends with respect to race, biological sex, and age is presented. METHOD: Participants exiting Department of Motor Vehicle offices (N = 12) were surveyed to understand their reasons for registering and not registering as organ donors. RESULTS: Benefits of donation followed by prior registration, rational arguments, and personal experiences represented nearly 90% of the coded responses for registering. Conversely, negative beliefs, decisional uncertainty, perceived disqualification, no reason, general fear/disgust, and lack of opportunity constituted nearly 90% of the coded responses for not registering as an organ donor. Whites and Latinx individuals were more likely to register as organ donors compared to African Americans. Participants in the lower (18-24) and upper (65+) age brackets had the lowest donor registration rates. CONCLUSION: Promotional efforts should continue to target younger and older audience segments with information about organ donation as well as African Americans. Results from the current study suggest emphasizing the benefits of organ donation as well as overcoming negative beliefs, decisional uncertainty, and perceived disqualifications.

An evaluation of a motor vehicle facility campaign with an established statewide donor registry: A test of sustainable, evidence-based intervention strategies.

Increasing organ donor registration enrollment inside motor vehicle facilities (MVF) is a common approach in the United States. From this research, a formula for what works has emerged within the literature including the presence of an interpersonal component, video messages, and point-of-decision materials. These intervention components have demonstrated effectiveness at increasing registrations in relatively new statewide registries; however, their effectiveness in MVFs with a mature registry remains understudied. The current study examined the effectiveness of an online MVF clerk intervention and the other examined the effectiveness of a multi-message, phase MVF intervention aimed at increasing organ donation registrations. The results revealed that MVF clerks garnered increased knowledge and greater comfort in communicating about organ donation with patrons after the intervention. Moreover, the intervention revealed that clerk talk effectiveness was positively associated with organ donation registration among MVF customers. Against expectations, recall of video messages was negatively associated with new registrations. Exposure to the brochure, counter mat, and poster donation messages was not associated with organ donation registration. An emphasis on the strengths and shortcomings of using MVFs as intervention sites for organ donation registration promotion are discussed.