Publication:

Comparative study on knowledge, attitudes and willingness regarding donation of living organs for transplantation among rural and urban dwellers of Kano state, Nigeria

Background Organ shortage is a major public health challenge for transplant programs globally. Organ transplantation is the most preferred treatment modality for those already affected by end-stage organ disease. This study compared the knowledge, attitudes and willingness regarding donation of living organs for transplantation among rural and urban dwellers of Kano State, Nigeria.

Methods A comparative cross-sectional descriptive, mixed methods design was employed for the study. An interviewer administered questionnaires and Focused Group Discussions were used in collecting data from 490 respondents and 16 Focus Group Discussions in both rural and urban areas of Kano, Nigeria respectively. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 21 at 5% significance level.

Results The results showed that most of the participants in the rural and urban areas (89.1%; n=212 and 94.6%; n=227) had heard of organ donation. Awareness of organ donation was significantly associated with gender, age and increasing educational attainment (p<0.05). The study identified electronic media (radio/television) as the respondents’ main source of information about organ donation. Nearly half of the respondents (47.7% in rural and 52.3% in urban areas) knew that kidneys can be donated (p=0.05). A significantly higher percentage of respondents in both the rural 180 (75.6%) and urban areas 190 (79.2%) expressed willingness to donate an organ when required by significant others.

Conclusions It is recommended that the high level of awareness of and willingness to donate organs in this society could be further enhanced by provision of intensive educational programmes to encourage the public to donate organs.