Determining Awareness of Age-Related Changes in Individuals Aged 40 and Over Applying to Family Health Centres in...

This study aims to reveal awareness of age-related changes among individuals aged 40 and over applying to family health centres and to examine whether awareness levels differ by sociodemographic characteristics.

This descriptive and correlational study included 210 individuals aged 40 years and older. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews with individuals who attended the family health centre, utilising the Personal Information Form and the Awareness of Age-Related Change Scale.

The mean age of the participants was 55.66 ± 12.77 years. Given the regression analysis, the Losses subdimension was significantly predicted by age, gender and education (p < 0.05), whereas marital status and employment status were not significant predictors (p > 0.05). For the Gains subdimension, none of the sociodemographic variables were determined to be significant predictors (p > 0.05).

The findings indicate that awareness of aging losses is more sensitive to sociodemographic characteristics; specifically, age, gender and education significantly predicted the AARC-Losses subscale, whereas gains appeared to be independent of these variables. The results suggest that public health nursing initiatives related to aging should consider individuals' levels of awareness when developing planning strategies.

Identifying sociodemographic determinants of awareness regarding age-related changes is essential for designing targeted educational and counselling interventions. Enhancing individuals' awareness of aging, particularly in relation to perceived losses, may contribute to the promotion of healthy aging and the improvement of psychosocial well-being among middle-aged and older adults.