Intention to register as organ donors: a survey of adolescents

Background—Little is known about factors that influence the intention of adolescents to register as organ donors. The identification of such factors has important implications for the development and implementation of educational programs and subsequent donor registration rates.Objective—To determine whether adolescents with an expressed commitment to becoming organ donor registrants differ significantly from nondonors on sociodemographic characteristics and factors influencing their decision.Participants—Four hundred forty-five adolescents visiting a Department of Motor Vehicles office for a permit or license (n = 153) or attending a driver's education course (n = 292) completed a semistructured interview and questionnaire.Results—Female (52.6%) and white (55.8%) adolescents were more likely to have favorable donation intentions relative to male (45.6%) and nonwhite (39.0%) adolescents (χ2 = 7.5, P = .02, and χ2 = 19.7, P = .003, respectively). Those with favorable donation intentions also endorsed signi...