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Understanding African American’s Religious Beliefs and Organ Donation Intentions

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Abstract

African Americans are overrepresented on the organ transplant waiting list and underrepresented among organ and tissue donors. One of the most highly noted reasons for lack of donation is the perception that donation is contrary to religious beliefs. The purpose of this cross-sectional study is to explore the complexities of religion (beliefs, religiosity, and religious involvement) and its association with willingness to donate and the written expression of donation intentions. Findings from a sample of 505 African American participants suggest that religion is a multidimensional construct and results differ depending on how the construct is measured and operationalized.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (Grant # 5R01DK079713-05). Also, we thank Mohua Basu for her assistance with data collection and analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Grace Crum Rollins Bldg., 1518 Clifton Rd., Rm. 521, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA

    Dana H. Z. Robinson, Susan M. Gerbensky Klammer, Nancy J. Thompson & Kimberly R. Jacob Arriola

  2. Department of Policy and Outcomes Management, Emory Transplant Center, Emory Healthcare, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Jennie P. Perryman

Authors
  1. Dana H. Z. Robinson
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  2. Susan M. Gerbensky Klammer
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  3. Jennie P. Perryman
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  4. Nancy J. Thompson
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  5. Kimberly R. Jacob Arriola
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Correspondence to Dana H. Z. Robinson.

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Robinson, D.H.Z., Klammer, S.M.G., Perryman, J.P. et al. Understanding African American’s Religious Beliefs and Organ Donation Intentions. J Relig Health 53, 1857–1872 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-014-9841-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-014-9841-3

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