Undergraduate Nursing Students Knowledge of Aging, Attitudes toward and Perceptions of Working with Older Adults in Kathmandu Nepal

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

3-7-2019

Publication Title

International Journal of Nursing Science

Volume

6

Issue

2

First page number:

204

Last page number:

210

Abstract

Objectives:This study aims to examine Nepalese undergraduate nursing students’knowledge of aging,attitudes towards older adults and perceptions of working with older adults, and to assess differences inthese outcomes by socio-demographic characteristics as well as type of nursing program.Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted among 385 undergraduate nursing students in sixnursing colleges located in the Kathmandu Valley. Knowledge of aging, attitudes toward older adults andperceptions of working with older adults were assessed using standardized tools, the Palmore Facts onAging Quiz, Kogan's Attitudes towards Older People Scale, and Nolan's Intent to Work with Older PeopleQuestionnaire, respectively.Results:The mean knowledge scores on older adults and aging were relatively low; participants scoredan average of 26.9 out of 50. Scores assessing attitudes towards and perceptions of working with olderadults were more favorable. Compared to students pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN),students pursuing a Bachelor of Nursing (BN) had a significantly higher score on the knowledge, attitudesand perception of aging scales. Linear regression analyses showed that the students’knowledge of aging(b¼0.55; 95% CI¼0.25e0.86) and perceptions of working with older adults (b¼0.22; 95% CI¼0.05e0.38) had a significant positive association with their attitudes toward older adults.Conclusions:Undergraduate nursing students in the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal displayed a relativelylow level of knowledge, but a positive attitude towards older adults, and a positive perception of workingwith older adults. Observed differences in knowledge, attitude, and perception scores between studentsin BSN and BN programs needs further investigation; closing this gap may be important for bolsteringundergraduate gerontological preparation in Nepal.

Keywords

Nursing care for older adults; Nursing students; Nepal; Aged; Attitudes; Knowledge; Perceptions

Disciplines

Education | Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | Medicine and Health Sciences | Nursing

Language

English

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