{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,14]],"date-time":"2025-11-14T18:54:40Z","timestamp":1763146480119,"version":"3.45.0"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,14]],"date-time":"2025-11-14T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1763078400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100019579","name":"SingHealth","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["NMRC\/CG\/C027\/2017_SHS"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["NMRC\/CG\/C027\/2017_SHS"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100019579","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>With an aging global population, there is a growing emphasis on community-based approaches to preventive health for older adults. While Community Health Volunteers have been found to be effective in empowering older adults to manage their chronic conditions, there is limited research on the role of Youth Community Health Volunteers (YCHVs) and little is known about how older adults perceive their role and effectiveness.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n                    <jats:title>Objectives<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This qualitative study explores older adults\u2019 experiences and perceptions of a YCHV-led health coaching program following community health screening in Singapore.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>We conducted one-to-one semi-structured interviews with 19 older adults who had participated in HealthStart, a YCHV-led health coaching program. Purposive sampling was used to ensure representation across diverse demographic backgrounds and varying levels of program engagement. Interviews were carried out between November 2023 and January 2024 in community centers, healthcare facilities, or via telephone\/Zoom, and explored participants\u2019 experiences with the program, perceptions of YCHVs, and health-related outcomes. We analyzed data thematically using deductive and inductive coding.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>We generated five themes: (1) How YCHV facilitation contributed to prevention outcomes, (2) YCHV facilitation techniques, (3) Intrinsic factors influencing older adults\u2019 receptivity towards YCHVs, (4) Older adults\u2019 perceptions of YCHVs, and (5) YCHVs\u2019 potential to be further empowered as health advocates. Findings provided insights into health behaviors of older adults, the perceived role of YCHVs in influencing these behaviors, and potential and opportunities to strengthen YCHVs\u2019 capacity as health advocates.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec005\">\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Engaging YCHVs as preventive health advocates for older adults appeared both acceptable and promising. This study highlights the potential for YCHV scale-up, while emphasizing the need for targeted training in behavior change and referral to community resources. Beyond individual health gains, such initiatives may help address ageist attitudes, foster intergenerational solidarity, and complement primary care efforts.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0335716","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,14]],"date-time":"2025-11-14T18:46:51Z","timestamp":1763146011000},"page":"e0335716","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Perceptions and experiences of older adults in a youth community health volunteer\u2013led health coaching program in Singapore: A qualitative study"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"20","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-2530-7817","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Audrey Shu Ting","family":"Kwan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jasmine Yee Ru","family":"Cheng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jed","family":"Jasman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Elliott Weizhi","family":"Sim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Alicia Shi Yao","family":"Chee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6168-3752","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Ka Shing","family":"Yow","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jie Xin","family":"Lim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Si Qi","family":"Lim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Thaddeus Chi En","family":"Cheong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Nerice Heng Wen","family":"Ngiam","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Muhammad Razzan","family":"Razaki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Xiaoting","family":"Huang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Lynn Pei Zhen","family":"Teo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sheryl Wen Ning","family":"Ho","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Zi Hao","family":"Lee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-8235-723X","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Kharuna","family":"Jaichandra","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Chee Hsiang","family":"Liow","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4174-7349","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Natasha","family":"Howard","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6630-3803","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Kennedy Yao Yi","family":"Ng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Lian Leng","family":"Low","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,14]]},"reference":[{"key":"pone.0335716.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.18356\/9789210028233","volume-title":"World social report 2023: Leaving no one behind in an ageing world","author":"United Nations","year":"2023"},{"key":"pone.0335716.ref002","unstructured":"World Health Organization. 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