Attitude changes of dietetic students performing nutritional assessment on healthy elderly

As the population of individuals over 65 yrs of age continues to grow, so does the demand for nutrition counseling and intervention for this age group. Dietetic students traditionally have minimal exposure to groups of healthy elderly yet entry level dietitians must effectively interact with these groups immediately upon employment. Attitudes and perceptions held by dietetic students about the elderly are important to their professional development and may affect the quality of care these students provide in the future. This study investigated attitudes of dietetic students before and after a short, direct experience with a group of elderly. Students had a significant positive change in attitudes as a result of interacting with the older adults.