Assessing the impact of student-led advocacy initiatives on Canadian undergraduate students’ knowledge of and attitudes toward organ donation: a cross-sectional survey from Western University
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Background: Organ donation remains a critical public health concern in Canada, with persistently low registration rates despite widespread support. We sought to evaluate the efficacy of student-created educational materials in enhancing Canadian undergraduate students’ knowledge of and attitudes toward organ donation. Methods: We conducted a pretest–posttest cross-sectional survey at Western University, in which participants engaged with educational content developed by the student-led Organ Advocacy Initiative. We assessed the proportions of students with and without changed opinions toward organ donation using simple percentage analysis. Results: Ninety responses were available for analysis; of these, 62 were fully completed. Postintervention analyses revealed a significant increase in knowledge scores (p = 0.007), with students in health care–related majors demonstrating higher baseline knowledge scores than students in non–health care–related majors (p = 0.02). Whereas pre-existing attitudes toward organ donation were largely positive, concerns regarding organ misuse were more prevalent among non–health care students but showed a measurable decline following the intervention. Willingness to register as an organ donor remained stable among health care students but exhibited a marginal decrease among non–health care students postintervention. Conclusion: Student-led organ advocacy has the potential to improve knowledge of and attitudes toward organ donation. Future research should maximize the impact of student-led educational materials by targeting diverse populations and exploring the long-term effects through longitudinal studies.
Source: Canadian Journal of Surgery
DOI: 10.1503/cjs.012725
Authors: Armita Hamedi Mobarra, Thomas Liang, Alp Sener
Institutions: Western University, McMaster University
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7171814802
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