Project ACTS: An Intervention to Increase Organ and Tissue Donation Intentions Among African Americans

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Kimberly R Jacob Arriola, Emory University; Dana Robinson, Emory University; Nancy J Thompson, Emory University; Jennie P. Perryman, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2010-04
• Publisher: SAGE Publications (UK and US)
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2010 by SOPHE
• Final Published Version (URL): http://heb.sagepub.com/content/37/2/264
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Health Education And Behavior
• ISSN: 1090-1981
• Volume: 37
• Issue: 2
• Start Page: 264
• End Page: 274
• Grant/Funding Information: This research was supported by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (Grant # 5 R01 DK62617-05). Also we thank Kimether Barlow and Tia McGill for their assistance with data collection and analysis.
• Keywords: organ donation; minority health; intervention
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Education

Abstract

This study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of Project ACTS: About Choices in Transplantation and Sharing, which was developed to increase readiness for organ and tissue donation among African American adults. Nine churches (N = 425 participants) were randomly assigned to receive donation education materials currently available to consumers (control group) or Project ACTS educational materials (intervention group). The primary outcomes assessed at 1-year follow-up were readiness to express donation intentions via one’s driver’s license, donor card, and discussion with family. Results indicate a significant interaction between condition and time on readiness to talk to family such that participants in the intervention group were 1.64 times more likely to be in action or maintenance at follow-up than were participants in the control group (p = .04). There were no significant effects of condition or condition by time on readiness to be identified as a donor on one’s driver’s license and by carrying a donor card. Project ACTS may be an effective tool for stimulating family discussion of donation intentions among African Americans although additional research is needed to explore how to more effectively affect written intentions.