Motives of Peer Volunteers Aged Over 50 in Physical Activity Programs: A Scoping Review

Peer-volunteering schemes can facilitate health improvement via increasing physical activity levels. Understanding what motivates peer volunteers is valuable for the feasibility of volunteering schemes. This scoping review aims to explore the motivations of peer volunteers aged over 50 who participate in programs that promote physical activity. Four databases were searched in March 2023 with no date restrictions. The inclusion criteria were adults over 50 years of age, experience in physical activity peer-volunteering schemes, assessed volunteer motivation, and uses English language. Nine studies were included (252 participants, aged 54-85) Peer-volunteer and volunteering characteristics were extracted from the papers. An inductive thematic analysis approach was taken to analyze the motivation data. The themes were then mapped onto theoretical constructs of motivation. Three themes of motivation emerged that could enable us to better design peer-volunteer recruitment strategies: altruistic (giving back), personal improvement (meeting goals), and past experience (helping others overcome experienced barriers). The review suggested that peer-volunteer motivations fall in line with the mechanisms of motivation suggested by psychological theories such as social cognitive and self-determination theories. To improve peer-volunteer uptake and retention, appropriate theoretical frameworks should be employed to inform the content of future interventions to ensure that volunteers will have their motivations met.