Research
Agboton Bruno Léopold*,
Abstract
Objective: To analyze University of Abomey-Calavi students’ perception about kidney donation and transplant. Method: It was a descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study conducted in four higher education centers from 15th May to 17th August, 2017. All students who met the inclusion criteria and gave their informed consent were included in the study. Data were collected with a sheet designed on the basis of different variables and processed by Excel 2010 and SPSS 21. Results: The study covered four hundred and one students, with a sex ratio=1.25. The mean age was 21.68 ± 2.32 years. The majority of respondents were medical students (77.6%). They had good knowledge of diseases requiring transplant (85.8%), and 95.26% of them were familiar with the transplantable organs. Over half of the respondents (77.3%) agreed to donate their kidney after death. For two-thirds (70.32%) of the students included in the study, there is need for public awareness in view of the successful implementation of such activity. The grounds for refusal to donate their kidney were as follows: religion (p=0.35) ethnicity (p=0.035), infringement of bodily integrity (59.6%). Among the students who know a kidney transplant recipient, 75% agreed to donate their kidneys after death (p=0.018). Discussion and conclusion: The study indicates that the University of Abomey-Calavi (UAC) students have limited knowledge about kidney donation. Some factors influencing student choice include religion, ethnicity and bodily integrity. Development of transplant in Benin requires regular awareness-raising and motivation of the general population.