Factors behind negative attitudes toward cadaveric organ donation: a comparison between medical and non-medical students in China.
BACKGROUND
The purposes of this study were to identify knowledge and attitudes held by Chinese university students regarding cadaveric organ donation and to understand the factors that drive negative attitudes.


METHODS
Questionnaires were delivered to 200 medical and 200 non-medical students chosen by random assignment at Central South University in China.


RESULTS
Of the 400 distributed questionnaires, 369 were completed and returned. Medical students were more likely than non-medical students to have knowledge of cadaveric organ donation, brain death, and its diagnostic criteria, as well as the appropriate time to conduct cadaveric organ donation. Furthermore, medical students were more likely than non-medical students to donate organs after death. For both medical students and non-medical students, family disapproval, public misconception, traditional culture, suspicion of premature withdrawal from life support, lack of knowledge about cadaveric organ donation, concern about inappropriate use of donated organs, and low education degree were associated with their unwillingness to donate cadaveric organs. Meanwhile, religious belief, insufficient laws and regulations, and lack of promotion were associated with medical students' negative attitude; for non-medical students, negative attitudes were also associated with nontransparent process of donation, sex, only-child, and young age.


CONCLUSIONS
Most Chinese student participants in this study held negative attitudes toward cadaveric organ donation. Furthermore, a considerable number of students remained indecisive, thus identifying a group of potential donors for interventionists to address when promoting cadaveric organ donation in the future.
1 Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Lung Cancer Center, Department of Thoracic Surgery, Tianjin, People's Republic of China. 2 Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Department of Anesthesiology, Tianjin, People's Republic of China. 3 Xiang Ya Medical School, Central South University, Changsha, People's Republic of China. 4 Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Tianjin, People's Republic of China. 5 Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. 6 Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN. 7 Tumor Hospital Xiang Ya School of Medicine of Central South University, Department of Urology, Changsha, People's Republic of China. 8 Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China. 9 Address correspondence to: Changli Wang, M.D., Ph.D., Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Lung Cancer Center, Department of Thoracic Surgery, Tianjin, 300060, People's Republic of China.
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