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Introduction: The transplant waiting list exceeds the number of organs available. One means of increasing the organ pool is to broaden potential donors to include those with chronic diseases., Research Questions: The study tested the effectiveness of using peer mentors to encourage individuals on dialysis to enroll on an organ donor registry., Design: Dialysis units were pair-matched by size and racial composition and then randomized to one of 2 interventions: meetings with a peer mentor (experimental intervention) or organ donation mailings (control). Peer mentors were trained to discuss organ donation with individuals on dialysis during in-person meetings at dialysis units. The primary outcome was verified registration in the state's donor registry., Results: After adjusting for age, gender, race, income, and education and accounting for correlation within the dialysis center, there was a significant intervention effect. Among individuals in the intervention group, the odds of enrolling (verified) on the donor registry were 2.52 times higher than those in the control group., Discussion: The use of peer mentors to discuss donating organs after death with individuals on dialysis can increase enrollment on a donor registry. Dispelling myths about chronic illness and donation can counter widely held misconceptions and help persons make an informed choice about end-of-life decisions and present an opportunity to increase the number of organs and tissues available for transplant.

Introduction: Health education programs can positively impact organ donor designation among African Americans, a disproportionately represented group on the transplant waiting list. Alumni chapters of historically African American sororities and fraternities are a novel setting for organ donation education and research., Research Questions: This study tested the effectiveness of a lay health advisor model to increase donor designation registrations on the Michigan Organ Donor Registry among members of Midwest alumni chapters. The secondary outcome was change in attitudes toward donation assessed by pre-post questionnaire., Design: Sorority/fraternity members were trained to deliver educational presentations during a 12-month period. Follow-up messaging consisted of tailored newsletters and e-mails. A cluster randomized design was utilized with 25 chapters (16 sororities and 9 fraternities) assigned to intervention (organ donation) or comparison (chronic disease)., Results: Odds of signing up for the donor registry were 1.45 times higher for the intervention group than the comparison group. Among those identified as nondonors at baseline, the odds of signing up were 1.58 times higher for intervention than comparison., Discussion: Using lay health advisors in African American sororities and fraternities can increase enrollment in a donor registry. Alumni chapters offer a unique and viable setting for organ donation education and research; relationship building with chapter officials is key to success.

Context: African Americans are disproportionately represented among those awaiting a transplant, but many are reluctant to donate their organs., Objective: To test the effectiveness of using lay health advisors to increase organ donation among church members., Design: Churches were pair-matched by average estimated income and size and then randomized to 1 of 2 interventions: one addressing organ donation and the other addressing increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables., Setting: Twenty-two African American churches in Southeast Michigan., Patients or Other Participants: Church members were trained to serve as lay health advisors (called peer leaders)., Interventions: Peer leaders conducted organ donation discussions with church groups and showed a DVD created for this program that was tailored to African American churches., Main Outcome Measures: The primary outcome was verified registration in the state's donor registry. Participants also completed pre/post questionnaires regarding their attitudes about organ donation., Results: Once clustering, baseline value, and demographics were adjusted for, the intervention and comparison groups did not differ on any of the 3 attitude scales on the posttest. In logistic regression analysis, with baseline donation status, demographics, and church clustering controlled for, the odds of self-reported enrollment at 1-year posttest did not differ by condition (odds ratio, 1.23; 95% CI, 0.87-1.72). A total of 211 enrollments in the state registry from participating churches were verified. Of these, 163 were from intervention churches and 48 were from comparison churches., Conclusions: Use of lay health advisors through black churches can increase minority enrollment in a donor registry even absent change in attitudes.