Knowledge, attitudes, and preferences of healthy young adults regarding advance care planning: a focus group study of university students in Pittsburgh, USA

Table 2 Participant demographics, and prior experiences with and preferences for advance care planning

Characteristic	n(%)
Characteristic	N = 56
Mean age (range)	21 (18–30)
Female gender	42 (75)
Religious affiliation
Christian	36 (64)
Atheist	4 (7)
Jewish	3 (5)
Other	13 (23)
Race
White	40 (71)
African-American	8 (14)
Asian and Pacific Islander	8 (14)
Mean years of education	15 (i.e., undergraduate junior)
Planning to enter a helping profession^a	26 (46)
Exposure	42 (75)
Primary^b	6 (11)
Secondary^c	36 (64)
Cancer-related	18 (32)
Unexposed	14 (25)
Prior experience with ACP^d	20 (36)
Discussion with parent	15 (27)
Discussion with partner	5 (9)
Discussion with friend	2 (4)
Discussion with physician	1 (2)
Discussion with other relative	1 (2)
Created an AD	1 (2)
Designated a health care proxy	1 (2)
No prior experience with ACP	36 (64)
Participants interested in creating an AD^e	41 (73)
Participants interested in designating a surrogate^d	37 (66)
Mother	10
Either parent	9
Sibling	8
Father	5
Non-spouse partner	3
Other relative	1
Friend	1
Not interested in surrogate designation	19 (34)

Legend: ACP = advance care planning, AD = advance directive.
^aThe following disciplines were defined as helping professions: medicine, pharmacy, mental health, social work, rehabilitative sciences, and public health.
^bDefined as an affirmative response to: “Have you ever had a serious illness that required hospitalization, or continued medical monitoring, and placed you at risk for death and/or serious illness?”.
^cDefined as an affirmative response to: “Has anyone in close contact to you (family, friends, etc.) experienced a serious illness that required hospitalization, or continued medical monitoring, and placed them at risk for death and/or serious illness?”.
^dTotals may exceed 100% due to subjects’ ability to select multiple options.
^eSubjects were asked if they were interested in creating an advance directive and/or a health care proxy document within six months of the focus group interview.

ISSN: 1471-2458