title: An investigation into mature adults' attitudinal reluctance to register as organ donors.
abstract: Mature adults (age 50-64) make up a large proportion of organ transplant recipients, and waiting list candidates yet are underrepresented in terms of actual donors. Understanding the reasons why mature adults fail to register as deceased organ donors is critical in achieving the goal of increasing the actionable supply of organs available for transplant. Conceptual models propose certain factors such as bodily integrity, ick (i.e., disgust), jinx (i.e., superstition), medical mistrust, salience, self-efficacy, and stake are associated with organ donation registration attitudes. Moreover, the age myth, or the belief that one's age prevents them from becoming an organ donor, was examined among mature adults between the ages of 50-64.
  
  
  
  An online survey was disseminated to mature adults (N=709).
  
  
  
  Results indicated jinx, salience, self-efficacy, and stake each predicted organ donation attitudes among mature adults. Moreover, results indicated that age myth accounted for attitudes toward registering as an organ donor among non-registered mature adults after controlling for non-cognitive and vested interest constructs.
  
  
  
  This study demonstrates the age myth is negatively associated with attitudes toward registering as organ donors. The results are discussed with an emphasis on both the theoretical and practical implications of study findings.
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA. bquick@illinois.edu.|Department of Communication, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA. bquick@illinois.edu.
authors.forename: Brian L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Quick
authors.affiliation: Department of Communication, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Reynolds-Tylus
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health & Health Education, The College at Brockport, State University of New York, Brockport, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Ashley E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Fico
authors.affiliation: Department of Communication, University of Buffalo, Amherst, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas Hugh
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Feeley
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014019:Tissue Donors / Q000523:psychology* / Q000600:supply & distribution; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement
keywords: age myth; campaigns; mature adults; organ donation; theory