Attitude Towards Older People Among Malawian Medical and Nursing Students

The purpose of this study was to explore the attitudes of Malawian medical and nursing students towards older people. As there are no previous studies in this area in Sub-Saharan Africa, it is anticipated that this study will provide the basis for further exploration. The attitude towards the older people was evaluated among 305 medical and nursing students using the English version of Kogan's Old People Scale (KOP). The majority of medical and nursing students (92.8%) had positive attitudes towards the elderly (KOP score above 102). The values of KOP scores in the total sample of responders ranged between 72 and 182, and the mean KOP score was 128.2 ± 13.8. The attitude towards old people was not affected by year of study and no difference was found between medical and nursing students and males and females. It is recommended that the curricula further expand its geriatric component to meet increasing demands for health care for the elderly due to the ageing population. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.