Theoretical organization of motivations to attend first aid education: Scoping review

Abstract

First aid training contributes to public health by preparing for and providing responses to serious illnesses and injuries and by promoting a return to good health for those who suffer from them. Understanding the motivations of people who participate in training activities would help training organizations to contextualize the expectations of learners, which could help increase the share of the trained public to be able to react. We set out to identify the motivations of individuals and/or a given population to undergo first aid training by carrying out a review of the available literature on the subject using the PRISMA guidelines. There are no large experimental studies or in a general population, but we identified three smaller experimental studies. The documentation on the motivations to participate was supplemented by two observational or retrospective studies and eight descriptive studies. Motivations for participating in first aid training are not well documented in the existing literature as to their magnitude or generalization. Those we have identified fall within the framework of behavioral theories as they are applied in socio-ecological and trans-theoretical models aimed at individual trainers and training organisations. Establishing links between theory and motivations ideally promotes the development of subsequent field research, addressing both psychological and sociological perspectives. Concretely, it is possible to improve the links between training organizations and those who can "prescribe" training for professional or educational purposes with the aim of increasing awareness and the possibilities of training in first aid. Public health trainers can also make connections between first aid training and other public health topics, or vice versa, building community skills to build resilience in personal or public crises.