Voluntary Work for Public Health—Older Volunteers’ Participation in a Norwegian Society —Motivation Factors for Participating—Enrich Life and Positive for Health

Bente Lorentzen¹, Britt-Maj Wikström^1,2*, Pål Joranger¹

¹Department of Health, Nutrition and Management, Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, Oslo, Norway.
²Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.

DOI: 10.4236/ojn.2014.411077                

Abstract

Today there is a decreasing interest in contributing to general organizations. The purpose of this study is to examine participation in volunteer work in a municipality in Norway. The main focus is determinants of motivation factors for participation as well as non-participation. A first step was to conduct a focus group interview. The second step was to make questions for a survey based on the results of the focus group interview in order to provide an overall direction for the survey. A questionnaire was sent to six local organisations in a municipality in Norway. Analysis: Multivariate logistic and linearly regression analysis. Result: The total model was statistical significant, indicating that the model was able to distinguish between volunteers who reported to be respectively happy or not happy. The model explained 36% to 62% of the variance in this variable. The variables made a statistical significant contribution to the model. The strongest predictor of being happy was the variable “energy”. The variable “positive for my health” was the second strongest predictor. “Income” has a reverse association, meaning that the volunteers are less likely to be reported to be happy when their income increases. Network and illness explain years in voluntary work. Conclusion and implications for public health nurses: The present study shows the effectiveness of volunteering for elderly. Thus, it is an important element in public health nurses work to include strategies that focus on program stimulating elderly citizens in the municipality to stay healthy physically and psychologically.

Keywords

Public Health Nurses, Volunteer Work, Elderly Citizens

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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