Abstract

Background: The approaches of young individuals towards elderly individuals differ from society to society and also from person to person. The increasing  life expectancy due to the increase in the ageing population in Turkey has caused more frequent contact between nutrition and dietetics specialists and elderly individuals. Therefore, one of the most basic health needs is to ensure that the diets of elderly individuals are applied correctly, to follow their diets and to make positive changes in their eating behaviours.

Methods: The population of this studywas composed of students attending the Nutrition and Dietetics. Descriptive analyses were used for the participants' past life experiences. Parametric and non-parametric analyses were conducted to compare the participants' past life experiences.

Results: The ages of the nutrition and dietetics students participating in this studywere between 18 and 23 years (mean age: 20.45), and 88.8% of them were female. A significant correlation was found between the grade level of the students (first to fourth grade), the environment where they live, their  income status, their attitudes towards elderly individuals and their attitudes towards elderliness. No significant correlation was found between the students' attitudes towards elderly people and elderliness and the number of their siblings, the current marital status of their parents, the person(s) they live with and any chronic disease in the family.

Conclusion: The students had positive attitudes towards elderly people and elderliness, and some sociodemographic variables affected their attitudes  towards elderly individuals and elderliness.