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Effect of Community Health Education on Knowledge of Organ Donation among University Students in Nigeria

Abstract

Organ donation is an important component of modern healthcare and may provide opportunities for life-saving transplantation among individuals living with severe organ failure. However, limited public awareness, misconceptions about organ donation, cultural and religious concerns, fear of organ trafficking, uncertainty about eligibility, and inadequate knowledge of donation procedures may influence willingness to consider organ donation. University students represent an important population for health education because they can acquire accurate health information and contribute to broader community awareness. Community health education provides an opportunity to improve students' understanding of organ donation, eligibility requirements, donation procedures, ethical considerations, and the potential benefits of transplantation. Against this background, this study investigates the effect of community health education on knowledge of organ donation among university students in Nigeria. The study will be anchored on the Health Belief Model, Theory of Planned Behavior, and Social Cognitive Theory. The Health Belief Model explains how students' perceptions of the seriousness of organ failure, perceived benefits of organ donation, perceived barriers, perceived susceptibility, self-efficacy, and cues to action may influence their knowledge and attitudes toward donation. The Theory of Planned Behavior emphasizes attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, and behavioural intentions in shaping students' responses to organ donation. Social Cognitive Theory emphasizes observational learning, peer influence, social support, self-efficacy, reinforcement, and environmental influences in shaping health knowledge and decision-making. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how community health education may influence knowledge of organ donation among university students in Nigeria. The study will adopt a quantitative quasi-experimental or analytical cross-sectional research design. The study population will comprise undergraduate and postgraduate students aged 18 years and above enrolled in selected public and private universities across Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique will be used to select geopolitical zones, states, universities, faculties or departments, levels of study, and eligible students. Community health education will be assessed using indicators such as exposure to organ-donation education sessions, frequency and duration of education, information on living and deceased donation, organs and tissues that may be donated, donor eligibility, consent procedures, registration processes, medical evaluation, ethical principles, confidentiality, organ allocation, transplantation procedures, misconceptions about organ donation, organ trafficking concerns, and reliable sources of organ-donation information. Knowledge of organ donation will be assessed using indicators such as students' ability to define organ donation, identify potential donors, recognize commonly donated organs and tissues, understand basic eligibility requirements, distinguish living from deceased donation, understand the importance of informed consent, identify appropriate registration or donation procedures, recognize ethical safeguards, understand the role of healthcare professionals, and distinguish accurate information from common misconceptions. Data will be collected using structured questionnaires, standardized organ-donation knowledge assessment tools, scenario-based questions, and pre-test and post-test assessments where a quasi-experimental intervention is adopted. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize students' demographic and academic characteristics, previous exposure to organ-donation information, sources of information, awareness levels, and knowledge scores. Inferential statistical techniques, including chi-square tests, paired and independent t-tests, correlation analysis, and logistic or multiple regression analysis where appropriate, will be used to determine the effect of community health education on knowledge of organ donation. Where a quasi-experimental design is adopted, knowledge scores before and after the educational intervention may be compared with those of a comparison group to determine changes associated with the intervention. Diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability, validity, and robustness of the findings. The study is expected to find that community health education has a significant positive effect on knowledge of organ donation among university students in Nigeria. Students exposed to structured, evidence-based, culturally sensitive, and sustained organ-donation education are expected to demonstrate greater knowledge of donation procedures, eligibility, consent, ethical safeguards, and transplantation than students without comparable exposure. Education may help correct misconceptions concerning organ removal, medical treatment, organ trafficking, religious concerns, and the safety of organ donation. It may also improve students' ability to identify reliable sources of information and understand the importance of informed consent and regulated donation processes. Community-based education may encourage students to discuss organ donation knowledge with family members and peers, potentially extending accurate information beyond the university environment. However, cultural beliefs, religious interpretations, fear of organ trafficking, mistrust of healthcare institutions, misinformation, limited public exposure to transplantation services, and inadequate access to reliable registration information may reduce the effectiveness of education alone. The study therefore expects accessible, culturally appropriate, evidence-based, and sustained community health education to contribute significantly to improved knowledge of organ donation among university students in Nigeria. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on organ donation, transplantation awareness, health education, community health promotion, university student health, health literacy, organ-donation knowledge, healthcare decision-making, and public health in Nigeria. The findings will provide useful information to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, transplant centres, hospitals, universities, healthcare professionals, public health practitioners, community organizations, religious and traditional leaders, development partners, and policymakers regarding strategies for improving public understanding of organ donation. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for strengthening organ-donation education in universities and communities, improving access to reliable information about donation procedures, addressing misconceptions and fears, promoting informed family discussions, strengthening public trust in regulated transplantation systems, and developing sustainable health-education programmes that improve knowledge of organ donation among university students across Nigeria.

Keywords: Community health education, organ donation, organ-donation knowledge, university students, transplantation, health literacy, health promotion, donor awareness, healthcare education, public health, Nigeria.