Saving Lives Branch by Branch: The Effectiveness of Driver Licensing Bureau Campaigns to Promote Organ Donor Registry Sign-Ups to African Americans in Michigan

African Americans are disproportionately represented on the national waiting list for organ transplantation. Promoting organ donor registries is one way to improve the possibility that those on the waiting list can receive a life saving transplant. Driver licensing bureaus have been suggested as an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of health communication 2011-09, Vol.16 (8), p.805-819
Main Authors: Harrison, Tyler R., Morgan, Susan E., King, Andy J., Williams, Elizabeth A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Advertising campaigns
African Americans
African Americans - statistics & numerical data
Anesthesia. Intensive care medicine. Transfusions. Cell therapy and gene therapy
Automobile Driving - legislation & jurisprudence
Biological and medical sciences
Blood & organ donations
Clinical death. Palliative care. Organ gift and preservation
Effectiveness studies
European Continental Ancestry Group - statistics & numerical data
Health Promotion - methods
Health Promotion - organization & administration
Health technology assessment
Humans
Licensure
Medical sciences
Medical waiting lists
Michigan
Miscellaneous
Organs
Program Evaluation
Public health
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
Registries
Road accidents
Road transport
Tissue and Organ Procurement - organization & administration
Tissue and Organ Procurement - trends
Tissue Donors - supply & distribution
Transplants
White people
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Summary:African Americans are disproportionately represented on the national waiting list for organ transplantation. Promoting organ donor registries is one way to improve the possibility that those on the waiting list can receive a life saving transplant. Driver licensing bureaus have been suggested as an efficient site for campaigns aimed at increasing state-based registry sign-ups. Previous research has suggested these campaigns work well for Caucasian populations, but there is less evidence supporting this approach in more diverse populations. To determine whether more diverse populations demonstrate similar sign-up rates when receiving a driver licensing bureau campaign, the present study used a previously successful strategy as the basis for designing and disseminating materials that would appeal to African Americans and Caucasians in two diverse counties in the state of Michigan (Wayne and Oakland Counties). Communication design and media priming served as the theoretical foundations of a three-prong campaign that used mass media, point-of-decision, and interpersonal components. Results from countywide and zip code data indicate that the campaign greatly increased sign-ups among African American residents (700% increase above baseline). Although more Caucasians still signed up than did African Americans, the inclusion of an interpersonal component resulted in similar numbers of registry sign-ups during 2 intervention months. The study provides evidence supporting the use of driver licensing bureau campaigns to promote organ donation registries to diverse audiences.
ISSN:1081-0730
1087-0415
DOI:10.1080/10810730.2011.552001