title: Cultural acceptability and personal willingness of Iranian students toward cadaveric donation.
abstract: Cadaver dissection stands as a crucial component in medical curricula around the world, although computer-based multimedia programs have been introduced in order to replace the need for cadaver donations. Due to a decrease in the number of unclaimed bodies and rather few donations, there is an insufficient number of cadavers for anatomical studies in Iran. This study was carried out to evaluate medical students' awareness and willingness regarding body donation in Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Iran. In this study, a questionnaire was designed to focus on the cultural acceptability and personal willingness to donate one's body after death. Students from the university's anatomy classes (n = 331) participated in this study. Seventy-seven percent of the students expressed their agreement toward the idea of utilizing body donation services, though only 25.4% of participants were willing to donate their own bodies. None of the demographic factors were associated with cultural acceptability or personal willingness towards body donation. These findings indicated that besides "payment", other factors were associated with students' willingness to become donors. All factors of awareness except "previous awareness of organization" were associated with cultural acceptability. In this study, students suggested that encouraging people to register for body donation using mass media (25.6%) and teaching students to respect cadavers in the dissection environment (24.8%) were the best solutions for addressing the lack of cadavers. These findings indicated that a lack of awareness about body donation might be the main factor responsible for unwillingness towards body donation; therefore, improving the public's awareness and addressing the willingness of students regarding body donation may help overcome the current lack of donated cadavers. Anat Sci Educ 10: 120-126. © 2016 American Association of Anatomists.
authors: Students' Research Committee, Kashan University of Medical Sciences and Healthcare, Kashan, Iran.
authors: Jamal
authors: J
authors: Abbasi Asl
authors: Anatomical Sciences Research Center, Kashan University of Medical Sciences and Healthcare, Kashan, Iran.
authors: Hossein
authors: H
authors: Nikzad
authors: Anatomical Sciences Research Center, Kashan University of Medical Sciences and Healthcare, Kashan, Iran.
authors: Aliakbar
authors: A
authors: Taherian
authors: Anatomical Sciences Research Center, Kashan University of Medical Sciences and Healthcare, Kashan, Iran.
authors: Mohammad Ali
authors: MA
authors: Atlasi
authors: Anatomical Sciences Research Center, Kashan University of Medical Sciences and Healthcare, Kashan, Iran.
authors: Homayoun
authors: H
authors: Naderian
authors: Department of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Kashan University of Medical Sciences and Healthcare, Kashan, Iran.
authors: Gholamabbas
authors: G
authors: Mousavi
authors: Department of Biological Science, College of Science, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia.
authors: Milad Motalebi
authors: MM
authors: Kashani
authors: Department of Clinical Psychology, Kashan University of Medical Sciences and Healthcare, Kashan, Iran.
authors: Abdollah
authors: A
authors: Omidi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000533:Altruism; D000715:Anatomy / Q000193:education*; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel / Q000208:ethnology*; D001293:Attitude to Death / Q000208:ethnology*; D001364:Awareness; D002102:Cadaver; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D004210:Dissection / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D037921:Gift Giving; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice / Q000208:ethnology*; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D007514:Islam / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D012068:Religion and Medicine; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Iran; bequest program; body donation; cultural acceptability; gross anatomy education; medical education; medical student; personal willingness; undergraduate education