Knowledge, attitudes and practice (KAP) of elderly care among nursing students in China

AimUnderstanding nursing students' perceptions of elderly care may help improve the recruitment of nurses in elderly care. The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge, attitudes and practice of elderly care among nursing students in China.Subject and methodsThis cross-sectional study surveyed 4402 nursing students from 10 regions of China during 10-16 October, 2022. The questionnaire included five sections: demographic information, knowledge dimension, attitude dimension, employment intensions and choice of job type, and practice dimension. Factors associated with practice score were identified by multivariate logistic regression analysis.ResultsA total of 4402 student nursing students were enrolled, including 3606 (81.92%) females. The scores for all five sections of the questionnaire differed significantly according to education level, experience of living with the elderly, experience of caring for the elderly, and experience of being cared for by grandparents (all P<0.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed that knowledge score, attitude score, factors influencing employment intensions, choice of job type score and practice score were significantly correlated with each other (P<0.05, respectively). Attitude score (odds ratio [OR], 1.45; 95% confidence interval [95%CI], 1.40-1.51; P<0.001), factors influencing employment intensions score (OR, 0.91; 95%CI, 0.90-0.93; P<0.001) and choice of job type score (OR, 2.73; 95%CI, 2.44-3.05; P<0.001) were independently associated with practice score.ConclusionModerate education level (junior college or undergraduate as opposed to secondary technical or postgraduate) and greater experience of living with the elderly, caring for the elderly or being cared for by grandparents are associated with better knowledge, attitudes, and practices of elderly care among nursing students in China.