Abstract:

Volunteering in public health to promote a healthy lifestyle should be encouraged. The work of volunteers in support and encouragement of young people to maintain their physical and mental health is an important practice for increasing the interest and responsibility of young people for their own health.

Aim:
To study the attitudes and motivation of students for volunteering in the community.

Methods:
The opinion of 96 students majoring in nursing, midwifery and medical assistant from Prof. Dr. Assen Zlatarov University - Burgas on attitudes, motivation and barriers to volunteering was surveyed and analyzed. The research tool is a questionnaire, including open and closed questions, allowing more than one answer, the questions are built on Likert-type scales. The questionnaire is structured in two modules: awareness of volunteering initiatives and practical application of volunteering. The data is processed mathematically and graphically. The research project № 7/2021 of the Thracian University - Stara Zagora, Bulgaria, entitled: "Integrated health care - challenges, training of volunteers" - aims to prepare students for volunteering with the elderly, children with disabilities and people accommodated in social homes.

Results:
The study found students' attitudes and motivation for volunteering. An important incentive for students is (73.7%) to obtain a certificate, next are the positive emotions in favor of those in need and the creation of new acquaintances. More than half (54.7%) of the students indicate the recognition of volunteer work as an internship as a significant factor. A significant part (87.4%) of the participants believe that volunteering could be realized as providing health care for patients, the elderly and the sick. The main source of information for volunteering campaigns is the Internet and the media.

Conclusion:
The study found that students prefer to volunteer in activities organized by established organizations such as the Bulgarian Red Cross, to conduct civic initiatives and activities related to social institutions for children and adults. The data give us a basis for developing volunteer projects with the help of established organizations with experience in volunteering in the field of health services, which will increase the health status of children and the elderly and will form in young people a desire to volunteer for public health. Students volunteering should be treated as a way of supporting the student learning process and incorporated into university curricula and Medical universities should integrate global health to the medical curricula. Limitations of the research: One of the main limitations of the research is that the analysis is based mainly on opinions and assessments, which are often inaccurate and unsystematic. Another limitation is the specifics of medical students, who are probably more focused on volunteering than students of other disciplines.

Keywords:

Health care, volunteering, students.