title: A national program toward improving renal health: advancing organ donation awareness.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite the national advocacy campaign for kidney transplantation from deceased donors in the Philippines 96% of kidneys transplanted into 721 kidney transplants from 1999 to 2001 came from living donors. A national survey on the knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of Filipinos on organ donation in 2001 showed factors that disadvantaged deceased organ donation to be poor understanding of "brain death," religion, and fear of the operation. These concerns were addressed and another survey was conducted in 2005.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To compare knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of Filipinos on organ donation between 2001 and 2005, and compare the number of kidney transplants from deceased donors between 2001 until 2008.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two surveys in 15 regions of the Philippines were conducted using multistage sampling. Using a structured questionnaire there were 2000 respondents in 2001, and 2140 in 2005. Analysis was performed using chi-square analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The majority of respondents knew about kidney donation. Between 2001 and 2005, there was increased awareness that transplants came from both living and deceased donors (37% to 41%) and a decline in those believing transplants came only from deceased donors (14% to 9%). Willingness to become a living (59% to 87%) or a deceased donor (35% to 49%) increased. The increase in transplantation from deceased donors from an average of 10 per year from 1999 to 2001 to 31 per year from 2006 to 2008.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Increased awareness about kidney donation among Filipinos, improved consent to become an organ donor, and an increase in kidney transplantation from deceased donors occurred from 2001 to 2008.
authors.affiliation: National Kidney and Transplant Institute, Manila, Philippines.
authors.forename: R D B
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Uriarte
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Amarillo
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Ampil
authors.forename: M N T
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Manauis
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Danguilan
authors.forename: E T
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Ona
mesh_terms: D001294:Attitude to Health; D001364:Awareness; D001926:Brain Death; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019520:Living Donors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D010679:Philippines; D011336:Probability; D014019:Tissue Donors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement