Levels of the consciousness of activities among health promotion volunteers. Comparison by years of volunteer's experience

OBJECTIVE: Health promotion volunteers (HPVs) are members of community health organizations. They are delegated health promotion activities in local communities in Japan, under support of municipal administrative officers, including public health nurses. The purpose of the present study was to compare the levels of consciousness of activities among HPVs by years of experience. METHODS: The subjects were 600 HPVs in two cities in a prefecture. A mail-in self-check questionnaire survey was conducted on November 2004, covering items on "demographic-data," "the condition of activities of HPVs," "self-evaluation of activities of HPVs," "self-esteem," and "consciousness in the community." RESULTS: A total of 514 questionnaires were analyzed (valid response rate: 85.7%). HPVs in the groups of 4-8 years and 9 and more years of experience, felt more challenge and had a greater feeling of self-growth than those in the group of 1-3 years, although HPVs in the group with many years of experience felt more difficulty with the activities. HPVs in the 4-8 year group experienced the highest sense of burden, and HPVs in the 9 and more years group the lowest. Moreover, consciousness in taking leadership in organization of HPVs was stronger, and sense of responsibility for roles as HPVs were greater in the group of HPVs who had many years of experience. CONCLUSION: In building structures of activity of HPVs it is important to consider their levels of consciousness of the activities by years of experience, as clarified in this study.