An innovative approach for building health promotion program capacity: a generic volunteer training curriculum

We examined the feasibility of creating a generic training curriculum for volunteers in health promotion programs for older adults by identifying common core content topics across 10 national programs. We also considered additional material that could augment common core content topics.

We reviewed in detail program manuals and associated materials from 10 national evidence-based or best practice health promotion programs for older adults that use volunteers. In Phase I, we created a spreadsheet matrix to track and tabulate the frequency of inclusion of elements across all 10 programs. We arrayed elements under appropriate topics, and program administrators reviewed and verified the information. In Phase II, we reviewed the matrix for comprehensiveness and added elements to augment the identified core topics. Program administrators again reviewed the matrix to ensure accuracy.

We found 67 elements of core content across 50% or more of the reviewed health promotion programs. We added 17 elements to enhance curriculum comprehensiveness; these included elements that were (a) in less than 50% of the reviewed programs but recommended by research staff, (b) introduced by research staff, or (c) recommended by program administrators.

Although there are many steps, questions, and issues yet to consider, our findings identify a significant body of general core content that supports the feasibility of creating a generic training curriculum for volunteers as an approach to enhance capacity in evidence-based or best practice health promotion programs.