Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perceptions of Tertiary Level Students in a University in Manila Regarding Organ Donation and Transplantation

Abstract

Organ transplantation had been considered as the only available cure for the end-stage failure of major organs. With the evidently huge gap between the number of suitable donors and recipients, the organ shortage crisis is a universal health emergency to be resolved. This study aims to assess the level of knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of tertiary level students in a selected college in a university in Manila and to determine if these have a significant relationship with the sociodemographic profile. It also determines whether the three main variables have significant relationships with each other and whether a significant difference would arise based on their degree programs. This quantitative descriptive comparative study used descriptive and inferential statistics, with data gathered from an online questionnaire that was administered to a total of 464 respondents who were 18 to 23 years old, and were enrolled as first- to fourth-year tertiary level students in the selected college in a university in Manila, Philippines. Data were analyzed using frequency and percentage, weighted mean, one-way ANOVA, Phi and Cramer’s V, Pearson correlation coefficient, and Pearson’s Chi-square tests via the SPSS software. Overall, the respondents possessed a high level of knowledge and somewhat positive attitudes and perceptions towards organ donation and transplantation. The degree programs to which they belonged was moderately associated with their levels of knowledge (p = 0.017; φc = 0.132) and attitudes (p = 0.022; φc = 0.139); although religion posed a stronger effect (p < 0.001; φc = 0.217) on attitudes.  However, none of the sociodemographic parameters used were significantly related to the perceptions. These three main variables showed a positive linear correlation, albeit weak. Meanwhile, the sample of students from each degree program only had a significant difference in terms of their level of knowledge (p = 0.002). Further research using variables aside from those employed in this study, as well as a larger and more diverse sample size, are recommended.