American Muslims & Informed Organ Donation Decisions: Findings from a Randomized, Controlled Trial of Religiously-Tailored Education in Mosques

A. I. Padela¹, R. Duivenbode², M. Quinn¹, M. Craig³, M. Saunders¹

¹Department of Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, ²Initiative on Islam and Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, ³The National Kidney Foundation Illinois, Chicago, IL

Meeting: 2020 American Transplant Congress

Abstract number: 162

Keywords: African-American, Ethics, Kidney transplantation, Patient education

Session Information

Session Name: All Organs: Economics & Ethics

Session Type: Oral Abstract Session

Date: Saturday, May 30, 2020

Session Time: 3:15pm-4:45pm

Presentation Time: 4:03pm-4:15pm

Location: Virtual

*Purpose: American Muslims hold more negative attitudes towards organ donation than other American populations, and these attitudes are associated with gaps in biomedical and religious knowledge. We sought to test the effectiveness of a mosque-based, religiously-tailored health education program focused on balanced information about the risk and benefit of, as well as religious arguments for and against, organ donation.

*Methods: A randomized, controlled, cross-over trial of religiously-tailored educational workshops held at mosques with early and late intervention arms. Subjects were recruited at worship services and other mosque events, and participated in 2 ½ day workshops consisting of a series of didactics and peer educator-led group discussions. Primary study outcomes were changes in biomedical (measured via R3K-T) and religious knowledge (measured with a newly validated scale) regarding organ donation while secondary outcomes assessed change in attitudes regarding organ donation. We compared outcomes measures between early and late arms at three time points with a between group ANOVA test.

*Results: Workshops were held at four mosques in Chicago and Washington D.C. The participants (N=152) had a near equal representation of both biological sexes (female 55%) and a wide age distribution (18-85; mean 46). Almost all participants identified as Sunni Muslims (98%). At baseline there were no significant differences between the two study arms for the three outcomes. The intervention workshop showed significant increase in biomedical and religious knowledge in both arms (p<.05). In addition, the likelihood to encourage fellow community members of the mosque to find a living donor significantly increased (p<.05).

*Conclusions: Delivering balanced education on the ethics of organ donation in mosque communities is feasible. Our intervention was effective in increasing knowledge and has impacted attitudes in mosque communities. By facilitating informed-decision making and community conversations these effects have the potential to change health behaviors.Funding and Ethics: This study is supported by a grant from HRSA (R39OT31104) and received ethics approval from the University of Chicago’s Institutional Review Board.

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Padela AI, Duivenbode R, Quinn M, Craig M, Saunders M. American Muslims & Informed Organ Donation Decisions: Findings from a Randomized, Controlled Trial of Religiously-Tailored Education in Mosques [abstract]. Am J Transplant. 2020; 20 (suppl 3). https://atcmeetingabstracts.com/abstract/american-muslims-informed-organ-donation-decisions-findings-from-a-randomized-controlled-trial-of-religiously-tailored-education-in-mosques/. Accessed May 13, 2025.

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