Effectively engaging high school students about organ donation and transplantation: An update on the high school outreach initiative experience
Kate Rokoss1,2, Zeenat Un Nisa3, Anna Cocco4, Ryan Ireland3, Kathryn Salvatore9, Chaya Schwartz4, Robert Myette7, Sonny Dhanani8, Vicky Ng5,6, Chia Wei Teoh3.
1Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada; 2Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; 3Department of Paediatrics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada; 4Ajmera Transplant Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada; 5Transplant and Regenerative Medicine Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada; 6Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada; 7Pediatric Nephrology, The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, ON, Canada; 8Department of Paediatrics, The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, ON, Canada; 9Organ and Tissue Donation, Trillium Gift of Life Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
Introduction: Youths have the power to embrace and change societal perceptions of organ donation and transplantation (ODT). The High School Outreach Initiative (HSOI) was established to raise awareness and knowledge about ODT among youth in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and later Ottawa. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the HSOI program presentations in changing awareness and interest about ODT among students in the GTA and Ottawa.
Methods: Pre- and post-presentation surveys were administered throughout 2017-2023 to high school students about their knowledge of ODT, awareness of donor registration, importance of donation, intent to register, and willingness to talk to their families about donation. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the students’ baseline knowledge and interest. Wilcoxon and McNemar tests were used to analyze changes in perceptions before and after the presentation.
Results: The HSOI delivered 805 presentations to 46,415 students at 160 high schools in the GTA and Ottawa between 2012 and 2023. Data from 4096 surveys completed by students before a presentation showed 41.3% were not knowledgeable about ODT. After the presentation, 52.4% of students stated they were willing to register to donate their organs and tissues after death, and 72.0% of students stated they were willing to speak to their families about ODT. Between 2017 and 2019, among 1224 matched pre- and post-presentation surveys, 49.8% of students who stated they were not knowledgeable about ODT prior to the presentation decreased to 3.8% after (p<0.001). Those who were not willing to register decreased by half after the presentation (p<0.001).
Conclusion: The HSOI is an effective educational program in improving youth's attitudes and perceptions toward ODT. Students evidently feel more empowered to make an informed decision to register and discuss ODT with their families. Further directions of the program include further expansion beyond the GTA/Ottawa and to investigate the relationships of different demographic characteristics of youths’ attitudes toward ODT.