Demographic and motivational factors affecting the whole-body donation programme in Nanjing, China: a cross-sectional survey

Abstract

ObjectivesTo investigate the demographics and motivations of whole-body donors in China, and help suggest a solution to the problem of low body donation numbers.DesignA cross-sectional study on body donors in China. Demographic analysis of the donating information of deceased donors and in-depth interviews of potential body donors.SettingEleven districts in Nanjing, China.ParticipantsDeceased whole-body donors who had donated their bodies to the body donation receiving station of Nanjing Medical University between 1 July 2009 and 30 June 2019 (n=835), and living registered whole-body donors (n=68).ResultsAmong the whole-body donor population, the numbers of males, people older than 65 years and those working as teachers, government officials, medical staff and farmers were significantly higher than those of the general Nanjing population. Donors with an education level of college or above accounted for nearly half of the deceased donors, and considered donating their bodies earlier in their lives than others. Cancer and heart disease were the major causes of death among donors. Interviews of the 68 living donors revealed the following major motivations for the decision to donate: to support medical education; to reduce their children’s funeral burden; no longer holding traditional Chinese views on life and death; influence by role models and annoyance at complex funeral ceremonies.ConclusionsOlder people, people with an education level of college or above, labourers, teachers, government officials and farmers are the major groups that donate their bodies. Although people’s motivations for donation are complex, their desire to support medical education is the most prevalent motivation. By helping focus on target groups for promotional messaging and identifying their prime motivations, this study’s findings can provide a reference for promoting body donation in China.

In death there is life: perceptions of the university community regarding body donation for educational purposes in the United Arab Emirates

“…In line with earlier studies [ 6 , 65 ], this theme portrayed body donation as an altruistic act and appeared as a key motivator. More specifically, participants' quotes that were representative of the sub-themes (i.e., respect and honour, and altruism) all conveyed a sense of gratitude – endorsing the results of Chang et al.…”

“…When reviewed further, the range of responses reflected the barrier-like components of religion, family, trigger of bereavement, ethical concerns, socio-cultural factors and technological alternatives. In line with similar studies conducted in the ME, the difference in religious and cultural backdrops between the region and the western world is deemed to shape participants' attitudes [ 54 , 65 ]. Of course, end-of-life planning often requires consultation with one's family, hence they have been reported to also sway the decision-making process of the individual [ 80 ].…”

“…In many parts of the world, Anatomy departments depend largely on body donation programs as the main source of teaching material [ 41 , 64 ]. While willed body donation programs are well-established and recognised in North America, Europe, and China; those in India are still in their stages of infancy [ 23 , 53 , 65 ]. Nevertheless, as the number of medical schools continue to increase in developing and developed countries, there is an ardent need to establish institutional body donation programs [ 66 ].…”

“…In this study, participants were provided with the opportunity to express their opinion about impact (direct/indirect) of body donation on their lives and/or in the educational setting, with Resource, Humanitarian, Barrier, and Awareness emerging as the focal areas of the thematic framework. These themes indicated that participants’ perceptions were indeed manifold [ 65 ].…”

“…To a lesser extent, participants mentioned the contribution to medical science research, a notion also conveyed by Jiang et al. [ 65 ]. Hence, it is not surprising that the contribution to medical education acts as primary motivating factor for many potential donors [ 78 ].…”