Experiences of volunteers: A volunteer-led community strategy for lung cancer awareness and mobilisation in KwaZulu-Natal
African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine
| Field | Value | |
| Title | Experiences of volunteers: A volunteer-led community strategy for lung cancer awareness and mobilisation in KwaZulu-Natal | |
| Creator | Mtolo, Sthabile W. Ginindza, Themba G. Dlamini, Siyabonga B. | |
| Description | Background: Community health awareness is essential in ensuring communities are well-informed about different health-related challenges and promoting health-seeking behaviour. This approach could be used to address lung cancer knowledge and health-seeking behaviour, which is among the leading causes of cancer-related fatalities in South Africa.Aim: To provide an insight into the experiences of the Cancer Association of South Africa – Multinational Lung Cancer Control Program volunteers in the implementation of a volunteer-led community strategy for lung cancer awareness and mobilisation.Setting: The study was conducted in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, in the Durban and Pietermaritzburg cities. The Durban sites were Umlazi, Chatsworth, and South Durban Basin, and the Pietermaritzburg sites were Imbali and Sobantu.Methods: A qualitative study was conducted using focus group discussions (FGD) where a discussion guide was used. Three FGDs were conducted with 16 project volunteers. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.Results: Volunteers shared their insights about the strategy, understanding of their roles, skills development, community acceptance, supportive teamwork and stakeholder involvement and their preferences for community spaces versus door-to-door awareness. Challenges experienced by volunteers included community safety risks, personal safety, inadequate remuneration and intervention strategy restrictions.Conclusion: These findings highlight the need for policymakers to recognise the value of a volunteer-led intervention strategy. The challenges faced by volunteers had a direct impact on their job satisfaction and motivation. The study offers strategic insights that should inform the design and implementation of future lung cancer awareness and mobilisation programmes involving volunteers.Contribution: To inform the development of policy on volunteer-led community strategies for lung cancer awareness and mobilisation in South Africa and similar settings. | |
| Publisher | AOSIS | |
| Date | 2026-05-22 | |
| Identifier | 10.4102/phcfm.v18i1.5141 | |
| Source | African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine; Vol 18, No 1 (2026); 10 pages 2071-2936 2071-2928 | |
| Language | eng | |
| Relation |
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:
https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/5141/9326
https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/5141/9327
https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/5141/9328
https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/5141/9329
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