Children's Perspectives towards the Elderly - A Cross-Sectional Survey
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71164/socialmedicine.v18i01.2025.1727Keywords:
aged, attitude, children oral health, elderly, older peopleAbstract
Background: With an aging global population, understanding the perceptions and attitudes of younger generations toward the elderly becomes increasingly vital for promoting intergenerational rapport and encouraging social cohesion.Objective: The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the attitudes of children towards the elderly. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted among 384 children between the ages of 7-14 in selected schools of Mangaluru, Karnataka, India. The data was collected using a pre-validated rating scale. Results: The children's mean score on the attitude towards the elderly scale was 27.08±4.39, indicating that the 89.06% have a favorable attitude towards the elderly. Moreover, a significant association was found between the children's perspective towards the elderly and the demographic variables like age (P= 0.003), class (P <0.001), and type of family (P <0.001).Conclusion: Interventions and educational programs can be designed to cultivate positive attitudes about the elderly among children, which can eventually contribute to the creation of age-friendly communities.
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