Attitudes, and barriers towards organ donation among university students, faculty and staff in Ajman, United Arab Emirates: Cross-sectional survey design

Abstract

BACKGROUND

Limited research exists on attitudes and barriers to organ donation in the United Arab Emirates, highlighting the need for a deeper understanding of public perceptions and challenges.

AIM

To assess the attitudes and barriers toward organ donation.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was adopted and included 607 samples consisting of students, faculty, and staff who were selected from three universities in Ajman and who had signed consent forms. A validated self-administered questionnaire that included 13 attitudes and 14 barrier items was used as a tool. The reliability of the tool was 0.89 (Cronbach's alpha). In the analysis of attitude scores, responses were rated on a scale from 0 to 4, with 0 representing 'strongly disagree' and 4 representing 'strongly agree' for supportive attitudes towards organ donation. Participants with a total attitude score of 39 or higher indicated agreement or strong agreement with all items, reflecting a generally supportive attitude toward organ donation. Lower scores suggested that the respondent was neutral or disagreed with one or more items, indicating a less supportive attitude toward organ donation. Knowledge about organ donation was assessed by self-administered questionnaire that included 13 items. Analysis was done using SPSS version 29. χ² was used to assess associations between variables.

RESULTS

Most participants were young (≤ 30 years old, 83.7%), female (79.2%), from World Health Organization Eastern Mediterranean Region countries (69.5%), Muslim (82.4%), students (80.6%), single (83.9%), and from a nursing college (33.1%). The majority had no personal or family history of organ donation (93.2% and 93.9%, respectively). Supportive attitudes toward organ donation were significantly associated with religion (P = 0.003), working status (P = 0.009), university (P = 0.019), and knowledge (P < 0.001). Additionally, those with a personal or family history of organ donation were significantly more supportive (56.8% vs 33.3%, P = 0.004). Lack of awareness was the most reported barrier for organ donation (64.1%) followed by being afraid of organ donation due to medical procedures required (51.9%).

CONCLUSION

The findings suggest that supportive attitudes toward organ donation are influenced by demographic factors, personal experiences, and knowledge levels. Lack of awareness and fear of medical procedures were the most reported barriers to organ donation. These results highlight the need for targeted educational programs to increase awareness and promote positive attitudes toward organ donation.

Key Words: Organ donation; Barriers; Attitude; University students; Employees

Core Tip: As healthcare professionals, we have a responsibility to support initiatives that foster positive public attitudes toward organ donation and to identify the barriers that hinder participation. To contribute to this effort, we conducted a study to assess the attitude and barriers towards organ donation. Lack of awareness was the most reported barrier for organ donation, followed by being afraid of organ donation due to medical procedures required. These results highlight the need for targeted educational programs to increase awareness and promote positive attitudes toward organ donation.

INTRODUCTION

Organ donation is a noble act that can save the lives of many people. Organ donation is a critical medical procedure that has the potential to save and improve countless lives[1]. Despite significant advancements in medical science and transplantation techniques, the demand for organs far exceeds the supply, leading to prolonged waiting times and, in some cases, preventable deaths[2]. Public attitudes toward organ donation play a pivotal role in bridging this gap, as they directly influence donation rates and the willingness of individuals to register as donors[3].

A recent survey among 900 United Arab Emirates residents explored public beliefs and attitudes regarding organ donation during life and after death. The findings revealed that the population is moderately well-informed and motivated about organ donation and transplantation[4]. In Abu Dhabi, A law allowing organ transplantation from living people and the deceased was passed, providing huge relief to patients on organ donation waiting lists across the country[5]. In comparison, a study from Saudi Arabia involving 1019 participants reported that only 49.2% agreed with organ donation, with attitudes ranging from low to high positivity[6]. A study in Egypt that had included medical and non-medical students, showed that only 34% of participants had a positive attitude toward organ donation[7]. A similar cross-sectional study among Indian medical and nursing students emphasized the importance of family permission they also trusted that doctors would prioritize saving lives regardless of donation status[8]. These studies highlight the critical role of knowledge and positive attitudes in promoting organ donation.

Barriers for organ donation was investigated in Ray and Ghosh study among medical students who were asked about the reasons for not donating their organs, unawareness was the most frequent reason reported by 40% of respondents followed by religious reasons (28.9%), superstition (17.8%) and fear that mutilation can impair burial rites (13.3%)[9]. Likewise, a study among Jordanian citizens revealed that the most frequent reported barriers for organ donations were lack of knowledge and insufficient knowledge in society (79.5%) followed by personal reasons like fear of side effects (64.6%), lack of support from family members (64.6%) and not being urged by religious scholars (61.1%)[10].

The success of national initiatives like ‘Hayat’ in the United Arab Emirates for promoting organ and tissue donation relies heavily on public understanding and support. While the program aims to regulate donation and transplantation processes and cultivate a culture of donation through the Hayat Ambassador Program, its effectiveness depends on community engagement and acceptance. As healthcare workers, it is essential to understand the public’s attitude toward organ donation to design effective interventions and outreach strategies. University students, faculty, and staff represent a diverse segment of society. It comprises young adults who are in the process of forming lifelong health beliefs, educators who play a critical role in shaping societal knowledge, administrative professionals involved in policy and institutional practices, and other staff who reflect the perspectives of the public. Selecting this diverse university population provides a comprehensive view of attitudes toward organ donation across different social, educational, and generational backgrounds. This approach enables the identification of key factors that influence perceptions and barriers, offering valuable insights for designing effective awareness and advocacy strategies. Furthermore, there is a scarcity of research exploring the attitudes and barriers to organ donation among residents of the United Arab Emirates. To address this gap, we conducted a study aimed at assessing attitudes toward organ donation and identifying the barriers among university students, faculty, and staff in Ajman, United Arab Emirates. We hypothesize that most participants hold a positive attitude toward organ donation, and that lack of awareness is a key barrier. Additionally, we hypothesized that sociodemographic factors are significantly associated with attitudes toward organ donation (Figure 1).

Figure 1 The prevalence of various levels of supportive attitudes among participants. It can be seen that 61.6% of respondents have moderate to high supportive attitudes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A cross-sectional survey design was adopted to collect the data from samples that fulfilled the inclusion criteria. A convenient sampling technique was adopted for data collection. Inclusion criteria were age ≥ 18 years, both genders, all nationalities, being students, faculty or staff in the selected universities, and accepting to participate and sign informed consent. Data collection was done by direct approaching eligible participants, explaining the objectives of the study and their right to refuse. Those who were interested where given access to Google Form that included the informed consent in the first section followed by a statement “Do you accept to participate?”. Any candidate who selects “yes” will start the survey and if select “no” this will end the survey and the candidate will not access the questionnaire. A self-administered anonymous questionnaire was used as the tool for data collection. The questionnaire included the following domains: Sociodemographic information, attitudes toward organ donation, and barriers against organ donation. Validity was obtained from the experts. To assess the reliability of our tool we used the Cronbach alpha test. Analysis showed that Cronbach’s alpha value was 0.89. Main data collection was done among 607 samples. All Analysis was done using SPSS version 29. Including the calculation of Cronbach's alpha test which was done to assess the reliability of the set of questions developed to assess the attitudes (13 items questions) that was described in the method section of the abstract and main manuscript. The SPSS software provides an option in the analyze–scale-reliability analysis.

Administrative permission was obtained from the concerned authorities, and Institutional ethical committee approval was obtained. The objectives of the study were to assess the attitudes and to determine the barriers against organ donation among university students, faculty, and Staff in Ajman, United Arab Emirates. Of 32 approached candidates had refused to sign consent (and Select No Option for the question in “Do you accept to participate?”. So the nonresponse rate in our study is about 5% and response rate 95%. All those who signed the consent had taken the survey and answered the included questions[11].

RESULTS

Sociodemographic characteristics of participants provides a detailed summary of the study sample's demographic. The majority of participants (83.7%) are under 30 years old, females (79.2%) from the Eastern Mediterranean Region has the highest nationality rate (69.5%), Islam is the most common religion (82.4%) With 489 participations, students make up the largest occupational group at 69.3%, participants from university providing mostly health sciences programs makes up most of the sample, with 30.7% coming from other universities. According to college affiliation, the largest representation is found at the College of Nursing (33.1%), followed by the College of Dentistry (17.3%) and the College of Medicine (15.0%) (Table 1).

Table 1 Sociodemographic characteristics of participants.

Variable	Subcategory	Frequency1	%
Age (years)	≤ 30	508	83.7
	31-45	74	12.2
	46-60	22	3.6
	> 60	3	.5
Gender	Male	125	20.8
	Female	476	79.2
Nationality: World Health Organization region	African	24	4.0
	American	7	1.2
	South East Asia	116	19.1
	European	13	2.1
	Eastern Mediterranean Region	421	69.5
	Western Pacific	25	4.1
Religion	Islam	497	82.4
	Christianity	61	10.1
	Hinduism	38	6.3
	Others	7	1.2
Occupation	Student	489	80.6
	Staff	73	12.0
	Faculty	45	7.4
University	Gulf Medical University	421	69.3
	Other	186	30.7
Year in program	1st	144	26.7
	2nd	149	27.6
	3rd	120	22.2
	4th	121	22.4
	≥ 5	6	1.1
Marital status	Single	509	83.9
	Married	98	16.1
College	COM	91	15.0
	COD	105	17.3
	CON	201	33.1
	COP	36	5.9
	COHS	67	11.0
	Non-medical colleges	107	17.6

¹Missing information for some variables.

COM: College of Medicine; COD: College of Dentistry; CON: College of Nursing; COP: College of Pharmacy; COHS: College of Health Sciences.

The attitude of participants towards organ donation: When asked about donating their organs after death, 62.9% of people said they were unsure or did not agree. When asked about their families' willingness to donate organs after their death, 80.2% were either unsure or disagreed. However, 61.4% said they would agree to receive an organ if they needed one. Similarly, 60.8% supported donating organs to people of different religions. A large percentage of participants (68.2%) thought that organ donation is a good thing and should be encouraged. Most respondents 76.8%, believed that organ donation should be a personal choice, not something forced. About organ transplants, 52.9% strongly agreed that it is a safe and effective process. Trust in hospitals to use donated organs properly was also high, with 60% agree and strongly agreeing with this statement (Table 2).

Table 2 The attitude of participants towards organ donation.

Attitude	Not agree/ strongly not agree/neutral		Agree/strongly agree
	n	%	n	%
A1. I am willing to donate my organs after my death	382	62.9	225	37.1
A2. My family will be willing to donate my organs after my death	487	80.2	120	19.8
A3. I am ready to receive an organ if needed	234	38.6	373	61.4
A4. I am ready to donate my organ to a person who belongs to a different religion	238	39.2	369	60.8
A5. Organ donation is a good attitude, and it should be promoted	193	31.8	414	68.2
A6. Organ donation should be an individual choice, and it should not be done by compulsion	141	23.2	466	76.8
A7. Organ transplantation is a safe and effective procedure	286	47.1	321	52.9
A8. hospitals use donated organs as they are intended to be used	243	40.0	364	60.0
A9. People who receive transplants live a healthy life in the future	311	51.2	296	48.8
A10. My religion supports organ donation	311	51.2	296	48.8
A11. I feel organ donation is a social responsibility	307	50.6	300	49.4
A12. Signing a donor card will not change the medical treatment I receive to save my life at the hospital	332	54.7	275	45.3
A13. I am willing to register as an organ donor and I am ready to sign organ donation card	401	66.1	206	33.9

When it came to their perception that people who receive transplants live a healthy life in the future, 48.8% agree and strongly agree about the statement.

About 51.2% were not sure or disagree that their religion supports organ donation. However, 48.8% of respondents agree that their religion supports organ donation. Moreover, 49.4% of them saw organ donation as a social responsibility.

Most people (54.7%) were unsure or didn’t agree that signing a donor card would change the medical care they get at hospitals. When asked about registering as an organ donor or signing a donor card, 20.8% agreed and 8.7% strongly agreed. However, many people were unsure or disagreed (62.9%).

The percentage of participants with reported barriers showed that not knowing enough about organ donation was seen as the biggest reason people are unsure about donating which was reported by 64.1% of those asked. Family members being against organ donation was less common, with only 26.4% saying it was an issue, while 73.6% did not have this problem.

For most people, their religious beliefs did not stop them from supporting organ donation, as 83.7% said it did not go against their faith. Most people (78.9%) were not worried about how organ donation might change the appearance of the body. Also, only 22.2% thought that only young people could donate organs. Most people (82.2%) did not believe that organ donation was something only rich people could do. About 45.5% said that the lack of hospitals and facilities was a reason why people didn’t know much about organ donation. About 47.6% of the respondents were concerned about how organ donation might affect the lives of those who receive organs. Nearly half (49.3%) were worried about the possibility of donated organs being misused, while 50.7% did not think this was a problem.

About 33.9% of people thought that mental health issues related to organ donation could be a problem, but 66.1% didn’t think so. Most people (86.0%) disagreed with the idea that organ donation disrespects human rights and dignity. Only 19.4% of participants were concerned that doctors might not try as hard to save the lives of organ donors only 17.8% of participants think that organ donation is only for family members. These results give important information about the challenges and misunderstandings people have about organ donation. The relationship between the attitudes and selected variables. It is evident from the results that religion, working status, university affiliation, and Personal or Family history of donating organs are associated with attitude. Among the selected variables, knowledge is more significantly associated with attitude at a level of P < 0.001 (Figure 2).

Figure 2 The percentages of participants with the reported barriers for organ donations. The figure showed that not knowing enough about organ donation was seen as the biggest reason people are unsure about donating which was reported by 64.1% of those asked. Family members being against organ donation was less common, with only 26.4% saying it was an issue, while 736% did not have this problem. For most people, their religious beliefs did not stop them from supporting organ donation, as 83.7% said it did not go against their faith. Most people (78.9%) were not worried about how organ donation might change the appearance of the body. Also, only 22.2% thought that only young people could donate organs. Most people (82.2%) did not believe that organ donation was something only rich people could do. About 45.5% said that the lack of hospitals and facilities was a reason why people didn’t know much about organ donation. About 47.6% of the respondents were concerned about how organ donation might affect the lives of those who receive organs. Nearly half (49.3%) were worried about the possibility of donated organs being misused, while 507% did not think this was a problem. About 33.9% of people thought that mental health issues related to organ donation could be a problem, but 66.1% didn’t think so. Most people (86.0%) disagreed with the idea that organ donation disrespects human rights and dignity. Only 19.4% of participants were concerned that doctors might not try as hard to save the lives of organ donors only 17.8% of participants think that organ donation is only for family members. These results give important information about the challenges and misunderstandings people have about organ donation.

DISCUSSION

Attitude toward organ donation

Attitude towards organ donation remains a widely supported concept, though discrepancies persist between general approval and actual participation. For instance, in this study, 62.9% of individuals are unsure or unwilling to donate their organs after death, and 80.2% express similar uncertainty or reluctance regarding their families' willingness to donate. This agrees with a study from Nigeria that showed poor willingness to be a donor, where only 29.7% of the respondents expressed their willingness to donate their organs10. Another survey among healthcare workers in southwest Nigeria revealed similar poor attitudes toward organ donation, where only 29.5% and 39.4% were willing to donate and counsel potential organ donars11. Another study conducted in United Arab Emirates, supports our study findings, that most respondents mentioned that they were not willing to register to be an organ donor (393, 58%); nevertheless, they would accept an organ donation (347, 51%), even from a recently deceased person if required (376, 55%). The United Arab Emirates faces scarcity among plenty as far as organ donation is concerned[12].

These findings disagree with two studies that showed that 96% and 80% of Canadian and Spanish medical students wished to be organ donors after death respectively[13,14]. High agreement to donate organ after death was also found in a survey among Tunisian adults where 80.7% accepted to donate their organs after death[15].

In this study, 61.4% of respondents showed a positive attitude toward receiving transplants. Additionally, 60.8% of participants supported organ donation across different religious groups, and 68.2% agreed that organ donation is beneficial and should be encouraged. The above findings were supported by a study conducted in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which reported that 69.8% of respondents have a positive attitude toward organ donation. Recent study in Turkey showed that 71.2% medical students exhibited high attitudes regarding organ donation and transplantation by reflecting their willingness to donate[16]. On the contrary, a study conducted in Jazan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, reports a lower positive attitude toward organ donation, where 49.2% of the participants reported agreeing with organ donation[6].

We found that most individuals (76.8%) believe that organ donation should remain a personal choice rather than being mandated, reflecting the importance of autonomy in healthcare decisions. Furthermore, 52.7% strongly agreed that organ transplants are safe and effective, while 60% expressed high trust in hospitals to manage donated organs responsibly. These findings align with the United States-2019 National Survey of Organ Donation[17] Attitudes and Practices, which reported that 90.4% of respondents support organ donation. However, only 60% of adults are registered as organ donors, highlighting a gap between support and action. The previous survey also found that 77% of participants believed their family supports organ donation, reinforcing the need for family discussions on this topic. While data on willingness to receive organs were not detailed, the positive perception of organ donation suggests openness to receiving transplants. Trust in the organ allocation system was lower among waitlisted transplant patients, with only 44% perceiving it as fair[17].

Furthermore, the current study shows that most of the participants did not choose the option that says that organ donation and transplantation are against the Islamic religion. Therefore, many participants are aware that organ donation and transplantation are permissible in the Islamic religion. A study in Northeast India[18] reveals that a significant portion of the study population (12.5%) opined that there might be some religious beliefs which are preventing certain strata of local population from donating or accepting organs. On the contrary, a study performed in Pakistan showed that more than 45% of the participants believed that religion was the major barrier to organ donation[19].

A significant proportion of individuals (54.7%) remain unsure or do not believe that signing a donor card would influence the quality of medical care they receive at hospitals. When it comes to registering as an organ donor or signing a donor card, only a small percentage actively agreed (20.8%) or strongly agreed (8.7%). However, a considerable number were either unsure (39.4%) or outright disagreed (18.0%), reflecting varying degrees of hesitation and scepticism. These findings align with a study published in JAMA[20], which reported that while awareness of organ transplantation is widespread—nearly 94% of the population was aware of the practice—only 19% carried donor cards.

Barriers towards organ donation

The highest barrier to organ donation is lack of awareness (64.1%), so most people do not have sufficient knowledge about the process and the benefits of organ donation. Fear of medical complications (51.9%) and fear of organ misuse (49.3%) also discourage people, as they fear potential health complications and misuse or unequal distribution of organs. When asked about concerns related to medical procedures, 51.9% of people said they were worried. The main reason people felt unsure about donating organs was a lack of knowledge, with 64.1% of respondents saying this was the biggest issue. These findings are supported by a study conducted in Northeast India reports that more than half (186) (51.67%) of the study group opined that there is lack of awareness among people which may be one of the reasons for low rates of organ donation. Family members being against organ donation was less of a problem, as only 26.4% mentioned it as a concern, while 73.6% said it wasn’t an issue for them. These study findings are supported by a study examining family-initiated discussions about organ donation, it was found that 25.6% of families proactively mentioned organ donation to healthcare providers, and among these, 74% consented to the donation process[21].

Most people (78.9%) were not worried about how organ donation might change the appearance of the body. Study results were supported by the 2019 National Survey findings of Organ Donation attitudes and practices, a significant portion of respondents did not express worry about potential disfigurement resulting from organ donation[19]. Also, only 22.2% thought that only young people could donate organs. National institute of ageing reports that in 2021, one out of every three organ donors was over the age of 50, and the oldest recorded organ donor in the United States was 95 years old[22,23].

Around 45.5% of people said that the shortage of hospitals and equipment was why many didn’t know much about organ donation. About 47.6% of people were worried about how organ donation could change the lives of those who get the organs. Almost half, 49.3%, were concerned that donated organs might be used wrongly, but 50.7% didn’t think this would happen. A study published in Transplantation Proceedings examined knowledge and attitudes toward organ donation among the adult population in Bisha, Saudi Arabia. The research found that participants believed the lack of hospitals and facilities contributed to limited public awareness about organ donation. Additionally, people expressed concerns about how organ donation might affect the lives of recipients, and worried about the possibility of donated organs being misused[17].

Around 33.9% of people believed that mental health problems linked to organ donation could be an issue, while 66.1% did not agree. The majority (86.0%) did not think that organ donation goes against human rights and dignity. A worry that doctors might not work as hard to save the lives of organ donors was rejected by 80.6% of those surveyed. Additionally, 80.6% did not believe that organ donation is only for family members. Study findings were supported by Though most of the participants had knowledge toward organ donation with a positive influence on willingness, the gap between knowledge and willingness was huge, with minimal registration influenced by the complex socio-cultural constructs. Various socio-cultural constructs such as family, fear and mistrust, religion, and bodily issues play a vital role. Differences were identified in willingness to donate and register between southern and other regions of India[22-26]

Regarding factors associated with attitudes: The current study shows no association between sex and attitude. Thus, according to our study, being a male or female does affect your attitude. On the contrary, there was a study conducted in India showed an association between attitude towards organ donation and gender with 70.9% of the men willing to donate an organ after death while only 52.3% of the women were willing to donate an organ[27]. Further, another study results states that there were significant associations between age, gender, education, economic status and background of the participants with their intention to donate organs[28] (Table 3).

Table 3 Factors associated with attitude towards organ donation.

Variable	Subcategory	Low/medium supportive attitudes		High supportive attitude		P value
		n	%	n	%
Age (years)	≤ 30	338	66.5	170	33.5	0.229
	31-45	45	60.8	29	39.2
	> 45	13	52.0	12	48.0
Gender	Male	81	64.8	44	35.2	0.876
	Female	312	65.5	164	34.5
Nationality: World Health Organization region	African	19	79.2	5	20.8	0.082
	American	5	71.4	2	28.6
	South East Asia	67	57.8	49	42.2
	European	5	38.5	8	61.5
	Eastern Mediterranean Region	282	67.0	139	33.0
	Western Pacific	17	68.0	8	32.0
Religion	Islam	339	68.3	157	31.7	0.003
	Christianity	33	54.1	28	45.9
	Hinduism	17	44.7	21	55.3
	Others	3	42.9	4	57.1
Working status	Student	329	67.3	160	32.7	0.009
	Faculty	20	44.4	25	55.6
	Staff	47	64.4	26	35.6
University	University offering mostly health programs	262	62.2	159	37.8	0.019
	Other	134	72.0	52	28.0
Year in program	1st	97	67.4	47	32.6	0.522
	2nd	104	69.8	45	30.2
	3rd	80	66.7	40	33.3
	4th and ≥ 5	78	61.4	49	38.6
Marital status	Single	339	66.6	170	33.4	0.108
	Married	57	58.2	41	41.8
College	COM	59	64.8	32	35.2	0.446
	COD	70	66.7	35	33.3
	CON	122	60.7	79	39.3
	COP	24	66.7	12	33.3
	COHS	43	64.2	24	35.8
	Non-medical college	78	72.9	29	27.1
Knowledge	Poor knowledge	136	76.8	41	23.2	< 0.001
	Adequate knowledge	260	60.5	170	39.5
Personal or family history receiving organs	No	369	65.5	194	34.5	0.553
	Yes	25	61.0	16	39.0
Personal or family history of donating organs	No	378	66.7	189	33.3	0.004
	Yes	16	43.2	21	56.8

COM: College of Medicine; COD: College of Dentistry; CON: College of Nursing; COP: College of Pharmacy; COHS: College of Health Sciences.

It is evident from our study findings that religion, working status, and university offering health programs are associated with attitude at P < 0.05. Among the selected demographic variables, knowledge is more significantly associated with attitude at a level of P < 0.001. This study findings were supported by a study conducted in Syria states that religious beliefs were the primary reason for organ refusal in males, while for females, it was lack of knowledge and religious beliefs[29]. Another study findings supports our results that One of the most important obstacles to organ donation is religious belief[30]. In contrary another study findings reveal that there is no association with age, gender or even educational level[31].

This study evaluated the association between knowledge and attitude towards organ donation. The findings show that more than 60.5% of those with high knowledge had a high attitude. In contrast, only 23.2% of those with poor knowledge had a high attitude. Thus, we can conclude that those with high knowledge had a higher attitude. This finding is in line with an earlier study in Saudi Arabia, where it was shown that 40.6% of respondents with good knowledge had a high attitude, and only 11.1% of respondents with poor knowledge had a high attitude[32]. Another study findings also shows that knowledge and attitudes were found to be positively associated with the Chinese general public’s willingness to organ donation[33,34]. Our study findings show that Personal or Family history of donating organs are significantly associated with attitude towards organ donation. Our study findings are supported by a study conducted among family members of successful kidney transplant recipients. The participants included stated an excellent improvement in the quality of life of their loved ones. The desire to donate among family members of the study population (70.7%) was higher than the national average[35].

The study has some limitations that may affect the generalizability of the findings. First, the use of the nonrandom sampling technique limits the ability to generalize the results to the broader population, as participants may have self-selected due to a greater interest in the topic. However, the high participation rate (95%) among those present at the data collection sites helps mitigate this concern. Second, although logistic regression analysis was employed to adjust for potential confounding variables, residual confounding may still exist. Finally, missing data for certain variables may have affected the completeness of the analysis, although efforts were made to minimize this impact during data handling.

CONCLUSION

The findings suggest that supportive attitudes toward organ donation are influenced by demographic factors, personal experiences, and knowledge levels. Lack of awareness and fear of medical procedures were the most reported barriers to organ donation.