Abstract
BACKGROUND: Health Science graduates are increasingly in demand for improving and providing life
services among the ageing population. Having substantial knowledge and positive attitude towards
ageing will be a key step towards better care giving. However, to date there is limited published
literature regarding knowledge and attitude towards ageing among health science students in Malaysia.
The objective of our study was to assess knowledge and attitudes towards ageing among health science
students.
METHODOLOGY: A total of 786 (120 male, 666 female) health science undergraduates participated in
this study. This cross-sectional study was conducted using Palmore’s Facts on Aging Quiz I (FAQ I) and
Kogan’s Attitudes towards Older People (KAOP) to assess knowledge of ageing and attitudes towards
older adults respectively.
RESULTS: Majority of students in clinical (69.6%) and non-clinical programmes (65.6%) showed
moderate knowledge towards ageing. More than two-third of students in clinical (77.2%) and non-clinical
programs (75.8%) demonstrated a slightly positive attitude towards ageing. A significant moderate
positive correlation (r=.308, p< 0.05) was found between knowledge of ageing and attitudes towards
older adults. Clinical type of programme (t = -1.97, p <0 .05) and Malay ethnicity (t = 2.37, p < 0.001) were
significant factors that influenced both knowledge and attitudes towards ageing.
CONCLUSION: Health science students demonstrated a moderate knowledge and positive attitude
towards ageing. Refining the current geriatric care curriculum with integration of experiential learning
may further enhance knowledge and attitude towards ageing in health science students.
Devinder Kaur Ajit Singh, Ponnusamy Subramaniam, Nor Najwatul Akmal Ab. Rahman, Fatima Zahra Rusly, Shazli Ezzat Ghazali. (2018) Knowledge and Attitude towards Ageing among Health Science University Students, Journal of Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Volume-17, Issue-1.
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