A Turkish version of Kogan's attitude toward older people (KAOP) scale: reliability and validity assessment

The considerable growth in the elderly population in Turkey has brought with it problems as well as concerns regarding gerontological education for health care professionals. The quality of care provided for older people is directly related to the attitudes of health care professionals. Validated instruments are needed in order to study attitudes toward old people. Aim of this study was to assess the reliability and validity of a Turkish version of KAOP among faculty of health sciences (health management, nutrition and dietetics, nursing, physical therapy, social workers and sports) students (n=594) at a university. The scale was translated using the back-translation technique. A two-phase data collection design was used. Four weeks following the first completion, another KAOP form was given. Content validity, construct validity, internal consistency, and stability reliability were assessed. Scores were between 86 and 175. The study sample reported slightly positive attitudes (132.9 ± 14.74). All of the 34 items were found to have significant item-to-total correlations. The content validity index was 0.94. The Cronbach's alpha was 0.84 for the total scale. The Turkish version of the KAOP can be considered reliable and valid scale for assessing the attitudes toward older people.