Annual distribution of body donation application rates in Istanbul, Türkiye

Abstract

Objectives: Body donation is infrequent in Türkiye. Therefore, understanding body donation behavior becomes vital for managing existing awareness activities. Studies on donor profiles and motivations provide valuable data that could be used to shape the content of awareness activities. The timing of awareness activities is also important for increasing the effectiveness. Although annual differences in donation registrations have been reported, studies investigating the monthly changes within a calendar year are limited. This study aimed to investigate the official records of two departments of anatomy in Istanbul for outlining the monthly changes of body donation registrations. Methods: The official records of 450 body donors who registered between 2012 and 2019 to the body donation programs of two departments of anatomy were evaluated. Annual and monthly registration numbers were recorded and analyzed. Results: For the 2012-2019 period, 154 female (34.2%) and 296 male (65.8%) donors were registered to both programs. In general, the registrations were more frequent in May, November and December (χ2=51.28; p<0.001). Interestingly, female donors preferred to register in May, June, November, and December (χ2=40.961; p<0.001), while males preferred to register in March, April, May, September, and December (χ2=24.757; p=0.01). Conclusion: Currently, existing awareness activities in Türkiye are organized at the end of October which falls just before the Autumn peak of donor registrations. Therefore, planning awareness activities prior to the Spring peak might contribute to a more focused conduct of body donation awareness in Türkiye.