Abstract:
Background: A human donor is someone who chooses to donate his or her corneas after their
death to people who need them (recipient). In developing countries, where the magnitude of
corneal blindness is higher, the availability of donated corneas is very low. In Ethiopia, between
130 and 150 corneas are harvested yearly. However, there are more than 300,000 blind people
due to corneal disease. The decision to donate one’s organs is a multi-dimensional and complex
process. People’s knowledge and attitudes shape their intentions and willingness. Therefore, this
study identifies the proportion of willingness towards corneal donation and associated factors
among adults in Jimma town, Ethiopia.
Objective: To Assess Willingness and Associated Factors towards Corneal Donation among
Adults of Jimma Town, Oromia Region, South West Ethiopia, 2018
Methods: A Community based cross sectional study was conducted among 413 adults living in
Jimma town, Oromia region, Ethiopia. Study was conducted from April 1 to 30, 2018. Data
collection was done by trained ophthalmic residents and ophthalmic nurses using semi-structured
questioner. Data was cleaned, coded and entered into the EpiData version 3.1 and exported to
SPSS version 20 for analysis. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were
carried out. Statistical significance was declared by the P-value < 0.05.
Result: From a total of 413 participants 51.3% of participants were willing to donate their
corneas. Younger age (AOR=3.791, 95% CI: 1.814-7.924), High knowledge score (AOR=4.275,
CI: 2.735-8.803) and higher educational level (AOR=3.191, CI: 2.735-8.803) were independent
predictors of willingness towards corneal donation.
Conclusion: Only half of the participants showed willingness towards corneal donation. The
independent predictors of willingness were age, knowledge about corneal donation and
educational status. Those who were young, with high level of knowledge about corneal donation
and higher educational level were more likely to be willing to donate their corneas.
