Increasing Intent to Donate in Hispanic American High School Students: Results of a Prospective Observational Study

BackgroundHigh school students are an important target audience for organ donation education. A novel educational intervention focused on Hispanic American (HA) high school students might improve organ donation rates.MethodsA prospective observational study was conducted in five Los Angeles High Schools with a high percentage of HA students. A “culturally sensitive” educational program was administered to students in grades 9 to 12. Preintervention surveys that assessed awareness, knowledge, perception, and beliefs regarding donation as well as the intent to become an organ donor were compared to postintervention surveys.ResultsA total of 10,146 high school students participated in the study. After exclusions, 4876 preintervention and 3182 postintervention surveys were analyzed. A significant increase in the overall knowledge, awareness, and beliefs regarding donation was observed after the intervention, as evidenced by a significant increase in the percentage of correct answers on the survey (41% pre- versus 44% postintervention, P < .0001). When specifically examining HA students, there was a significant increase in the intent to donate organs (adjusted odds ratio 1.21, 95% confidence interval: 1.09, 1.34, P = .0003).ConclusionThis is the first study to demonstrate a significant increase in the intent to donate among HA high school students following an educational intervention.