Ageing Int (2012) 37:143–154

DOI 10.1007/s12126-010-9097-5

University Students’ Views and Practices of Ageism

Duygu Yılmaz & Sezer Kisa & Simge Zeyneloğlu

Published online: 8 January 2011

# Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2011

Abstract Ageism encompasses beliefs (elderly people are ugly, bad-tempered

and ill, etc.) and attitudes (the preference of being young over being old, etc.)
which have the potential to turn into discriminative actions. In the present day, it is
notable that the majority of those who discriminate against the elderly are young people.
For this reason, the study was conducted with a cross-sectional design in order to
identify university students’ views on ageism and ageism practices. The sample of the
study was comprised of students selected by means of stratified random sampling in
proportion with the size. 378 students (203 women, 175 men) participated in the study.
The questionnaire form prepared by the researchers was used as a data collection tool.
An analysis of the students’ views in terms of gender revealed that the students most
frequently identified the statement “addressing the elderly with names like ‘senile’, ‘old
chap’, ‘old man”’ (female: 94.1%, male: 88.6%) and the statement “ignoring old
people’s experiences” (female: 86.2%, male: 85.7%) as discrimination. The difference
between all student views was not found to be significant in terms of gender (p>0.05).
When the students’ state of practicing ageist behaviors was analyzed, it was found out
that students in general did not practise “addressing old people with names like
‘senile’, ‘old chap’, ‘old man’” (female: 94.1%, male: 92.0%) and “helping old people
with their packages” (female: 92.6%, male: 97.7%). It was determined that students
most frequently applied the behavior “teasing old people wearing highly colourful
clothes” (female: 87.2%, male: 85.1%). Only the difference in the behavior of “not
helping old people with their packages” was found to be significant in terms of gender

D. Yılmaz
School of Health, Department of Nursing, Mersin University, Mersin, Turkey
e-mail: duyguv@hacettepe.edu.tr

S. Kisa (*)
Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Nursing, Gazi University, Besevler, Ankara, Turkey
e-mail: sezer@gazi.edu.tr

S. Zeyneloğlu
Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Nursing, Gaziantep University, Gaziantep, Turkey
e-mail: simgez@gmail.edu.tr
144 Ageing Int (2012) 37:143–154

(p<0.05). It was discovered that students mostly viewed statements related to ageism
as discrimination, and in the same way the majority displayed ageist behavior. It is
assumed that the identification of young people’s views on ageism and their practices
of ageism will shed light on future practices aiming to equip them with positive
attitudes and an egalitarian point of view towards ageism and help them develop their
own ideas, behavior and attitudes.

Keywords Perception of the elderly . Discrimination . Ageism . Attitude . Young

people

Introductıon

Aging is considered to be a physiological process of change which starts from birth

and continues until death. The World Health Organization accepts the age of 65 and
over as the period of agedness in chronological terms (World Health Report 1998).
In the United Nations’ reports on agedness, this limit is accepted as being 60 and
above (Aslan 2007).
In the present day, problems related to the aged and the aging period have started to
occupy the world countries’ agenda more and more (Çilingiroğlu and Demirel 2004).
For, along with the fall in birth rates, improvement in nutrition conditions, development
in basic health services and the control of contagious diseases since the beginning of
the 20th century the number of people who have reached old age has been gradually
increasing (Bongaarts and Griffith 2002). As a consequence of this, in the 21st century
countries are at risk of “population aging” and the accompanying problems.
At present, elderly population rates show that 200 million people aged 65 and
above lived throughout the world in 1950 while in 1970 this number reached 291
million, in 2000 605 million, and in 2008 470 million. In the year 2025, the number
of those over the age 65 and above is expected to reach 671 million and in 2050 1
billion. Considering these figures, it can easily be seen that the rate of elderly people
doubles the population increase rate and will form 14% of the whole world
population in 2025 (Population Reference Bureau 2008).
The elderly population has been gradually increasing in developing countries,with
Turkey among them (Gökçe-Kutsal 2007). In Turkey, due to the increase in average
life expectancy and the decrease in the fertility rate, the population rate of those aged
65 and over has been constantly increasing (Aslan 2007). According to 2008
Turkey Population and Health Research results, those aged 65 and above number
6.8% of the population (Hacettepe Üniversitesi Nüfus Etütleri Enstitüsü 2008). In
addition to this, the ratio of the elderly to the whole population is expected to rise
to 10% in 2025 and 20% in 2050; that is approximately 15 million people
(Population Reference Bureau 2008).
As is seen, this rapid increase in the elderly will give rise to serious problems in
world countries, family and the society in the long term. It is assumed that these
problems will manifest themselves in how to benefit from healthcare services,
meeting health expenses, organisation and finance of social security institutions,
sufficient service and job opportunities. In addition, the elderly may also experience
problems in the social support provided by the family and the close environment,
Ageing Int (2012) 37:143–154 145

adapting to the aging process, obtaining adequate income, retirement and

accommodation (Akgün et al. 2004; Blaikie 1999). Old people’s experience of such
problems brings the concept of ageism to the agenda (Macnicol 2006).
The term ageism was defined as “discrimination against the elderly, which can
turn into behaviors like race discrimination and gender discrimination” by the
president of the American National Aging Institute, Robert Butler, who used it for
the first time in 1969 (Macnicol 2006). On the other hand, Palmore defined ageism
as “a term signifying prejudice against old aged people expressed via attitude and
behaviors” (Palmore 1999).
Ageism is a multidimensional term covering actions like different attitudes,
prejudices and behavior towards an individual due to one’s age only (Çilingiroğlu
and Demirel 2004; Macnicol 2006). Aging is viewed as a process of deterioration in
all fields of life – productivity, efficiency, individualism, and freedom by members
of society (O’Hanlon and Brookore 2002). The elderly and aging are viewed with
fixed opinions and prejudiced approaches (Reed et al. 2006; Yılmaz Vefikuluçay and
Terzioğlu 2009). The way an old person behaves, what s/he wears and what s/he
feels change depending on the individual’s age rather than the individual himself
(Macnicol 2006; Palmore 1999). Ageism thus encompasses beliefs (elderly people are
ugly, ill-tempered, ill, etc.) and attitudes (preference of youth over agedness, etc.)
which may turn into discriminative actions (Palmore 1999). Ageism reveals itself in
the definition of the word “aged”. According to this, aging is defined as “showing the
effects and characteristics of increased age”. The synonyms of aging/agedness usually
have negative connotations. These are usually negative things like senility,
disempowerment, illness, becoming old, deterioration, being worn-out, dysfunctioning.
Therefore, aging is evaluated as a bad thing to be avoided if possible (Macnicol 2006).
Presently, in many societies of the world old people are exposed to discrimination.
This discrimination usually stems from the society, family members and especially the
youth’s negative opinions of aging (Palmore 1999; Reed et al. 2006; Yılmaz
Vefikuluçay and Terzioğlu 2009). Furthermore, it is striking that the majority of
people who employ discriminative behaviors are young. In various studies, it was
found that young people and students display discriminative behaviors towards the
elderly (Loretto et al. 2000; McConatha et al. 2003; Bacanli et al. 1994; Haken et al.
1995; Kite et al. 2005; Laditka et al. 2004; Mosher-Asley & Ball 1999; Scott et al.
1998; Zhou 2007). In McConatha et al.’s study (McConatha et al. 2004) Turkish
students stated that they liked spending time with old people, visiting elderly relatives
and helping the elderly, in contrast to American students. Also, female students were
found to have more positive opinions towards the elderly (McConatha et al. 2004). In
Moyle’s study (Moyle 2003) where he investigated nursing students’ perceptions of
older individuals, the students were found to view the elderly mostly as fragile, weak
and sick people (Moyle 2003). In McKinlay and Cowan’s 2003 study where they
analyzed nursing students’ attitudes towards elderly patients, the students were
reported to have a positive attitude towards them (McKinlay and Cowan 2003).
As for Turkey, studies on the elderly and aging mostly focus on issues towards
identifying the old person’s quality of life and health problems. Within the scope of
“Lifestyle Preferences In View of the Elderly and the Relatives of the Elderly
Project” by the Turkish Academy of Sciences, a qualitative research study was
conducted in order to identify differences and similarities in opinions, perceptions
146 Ageing Int (2012) 37:143–154

and attitudes towards the elderly. According to the results, the elderly defined
themselves as disempowered, full of pain, ill, weak, tired, incapable of carrying out
their own tasks, having lost status and isolated from the world (Türkiye Bilimler
Akademisi Raporları 2003). In GEBAM’s study aiming to identify the elderly above
the age of 65 and older living within the boundaries of Ankara Greater City
Municipality, it was determined that women have more opinions such as “aging is
illness, aging is coming to the end of life, etc.” than men (Erdil et al. 2004). As can
be seen, in Turkey studies on finding young people’s opinions on ageism and their
practice of ageism could not be found.
It is highly significant that the ageism-related opinions and ageist practices of the
youth who constitute the majority of society be identified. Thus, students can learn
about the aging process which is a part of the life-cycle, change prejudices about
aging, develop positive ideas about aging and view it as a process rather than a
catastrophe. In order to realise this, more studies exploring students’ ageism-related
opinions and practices of ageism are needed. In this respect, this study aims to
identify university students’ views on ageism and their ageist practices.

Materials and Methods

The study was done as a descriptive study to determine the university students’
views on ageism and ageist practices. The number of students included in the
sample was determined by using the universally known method of calculation.
Stratified and random sampling methods were used for the selection of female
(203) and male students (175) from the faculties and schools of Ankara
University. The sample of the study consisted of 378 students. In the random
sampling method, all of the students in the class lists were ordered by
numbering their names and students were selected by means of a simple random
numbers table. At the time of the data collection, 48 students were absent and
108 students did not accept participation in the study. For this reason students
were reselected by using a simple table of numbers until the sample reached 378
students. The data was collected via a semi-structured questionnaire form, which
was developed on the basis of literature findings (Macnicol 2006; Palmore 1999;
Loretto et al. 2000; McConatha et al. 2003; Bacanli et al. 1994; Haken et al. 1995;
Kite et al. 2005; Laditka et al. 2004; Mosher-Asley and Ball 1999; Scott et al.
1998; Zhou 2007; McConatha et al. 2004; Moyle 2003; McKinlay and Cowan
2003; Türkiye Bilimler Akademisi Raporları 2003; Erdil et al. 2004). Once the
questionnaire form was developed, it was piloted with 40 students – four women and
four men from each class – in order to find out more about its comprehensibility and
practicality. After pilot-testing the questionnaire, it took its final form.
The questionnaire form comprises two sections. The first includes questions about
the students’ demographic information. The second section includes eight statements
with a three-point scale (“This is ageist”, “I have no idea”, “This is not ageism”) for
the purpose of identifying students’ views on ageism. In addition, eight behavior
types towards determining the practice of ageism are presented.
Written consent was taken from the related institution and the ethics
committee in order to conduct the study. The participants were given the
Ageing Int (2012) 37:143–154 147

questionnaire form in April–May 2007 at Ankara University. The questionnaire

form was applied in class breaks, and oral consent of the related academicians
was taken so that the first 10–15 minutes of the class could be used. The
students were requested to complete the questionnaire individually, which took
approximately 15 minutes. The participant students were informed about the
study and their written consent was taken.
The data was transferred to computer via Statistical Package for Social Sciences
(SPSS) for Windows version 11.5 by the researchers. Percentage and Pearson chi-square
tests were used in data assessment. The students’ socio-demographic characteristics,
current place of residence and state of living with old people represented independent
variables whereas views on ageism and ageist practices represented the dependent
variables.

Findings

In this study, more than half of the students (56.4%) were studying social sciences,
31.5% were senior students, 39.4% were between the ages of 21 and 22 and 97.4%
were single. Almost half of the students (46.3%) were female, 53.7% were male. A
great majority of the students (89.4%) stated they had nuclear families. More than
half of the students’ mothers (56.6%) had a primary school degree and 77.2% of
them were housewives. At the time of the data collection, 39.7% of the participants
were living with their family.
Half of the students (39.7%) who reported living with the elderly in the same
house, reported having lived with only the grandmother (50%). An analysis of the
students’ place of residence revealed that more than half of the students’
grandparents lived by themselves (57.8%); only 12.1% of them lived with the
student’s family (Table 1).

Table 1 The distribution of students’ status of living with the elderly

n %

Status of living with an elderly person (1 or more) in the same house

Yes 150 39.7
No 228 60.3
The elderly individuals that they lived with until now (n=150)a
Only grandmother 75 50.0
Grandmother and grandfather 62 41.3
Only grandfather 13 8.7
The place that the grandmother/grandfather lives (n=315)b
In his/her own house, alone 182 57.8
With primary relatives 95 30.1
With the student’s family 38 12.1

a
This question was answered by students living with the elderly
b
This question was answered by students whose grandmother/grandfather is alive
148 Ageing Int (2012) 37:143–154

More than half of the students (68%) wanted to live with their parents after
forming their own family. Of those 79.8% wanted to do so on account of meeting
their needs, maintaining comfort and peace, being unwilling to let them stay alone,
and sharing their responsibilities. Only 20.2% of the students stated that they wanted
to live with their family so that they could help raise their children and share the
responsibilities. The reasons for being unwilling to live with their parents after
forming a family were as follows: enjoying living alone (42.1%), believing that
living in separate houses is appropriate (39.7%) and not wanting to be interfered
with (18.2%) (Table 2).

Results of the Students’ Views on Ageism and Students’ Ageist Practices

An analysis of the students’ views on ageism revealed that 74.9% of the female
students and 79.4% of the male students viewed statements like “not giving
priority to the elderly in queues” as ageism. A great majority (female: 85.7%,
male: 80.6%) stated they viewed the statement of “not respecting the elderly” as
ageism. It was also found that 82.8% of the female students and 78.9% of the
male students viewed the statement “finding spending time with the elderly
boring” as ageism. The majority of the students (female: 81.3%, male: 78.9%)
viewed the statement “teasing old people who wear very colorful clothes” as
ageism. 66% of the female students and 70.3% of the male students viewed the
statement “not helping the elderly with their packages” as ageism. The majority
(female: 94.1%, male: 88.6%) viewed the statement “addressing the elderly with
names like ‘senile’, ‘old man’, ‘old chap’” as ageism. The statement “ignoring
the life experiences of the elderly” was viewed as ageism by 86.2% of the female
and 85.7% of the male students. Almost half (female: 42.4%, male: 43.4%) did

Table 2 Students’ desire to live with their parents after forming their own family and the distribution of
their reason

n %

Desire to Live with their Parents

Yes 257 68.0
No 121 32.0
Reasons for Living with their Parents n=257
To support their parentsa 205 79.8
To get support from their parentsb 52 20.2
Reasons for Unwillingness n=121
Enjoying living alone 51 42.1
Believing that living in a separate house is more appropriate 48 39.7
Not wanting to be interfered with 22 18.2

a
This option was chosen by the students who expressed their reasons for wanting to live with their parents
as meeting their parents’ needs, maintaining their comfort, not wanting them to live alone, sharing their
problems and feeling responsible for them
b
This option was answered by the students who want to get help from their parents to raise children and
share responsibilities
Ageing Int (2012) 37:143–154 149

not view the statement “avoiding giving their seat to the elderly in transportation
vehicles” as ageism. In the statistical analysis, the difference between the students’
views in terms of gender was not found to be significant (p>0.05) (Table 3).
As for the practice of behaviors related to ageism, more than half (female:
67.5%, male: 60.6%) stated they applied the behavior “not giving priority to the
elderly in places where queuing is necessary”. 27.6% of the female students and
34.9% of the male students stated they applied the behavior of “not showing
respect to the elderly”. The majority (female: 75.9%, male: 75.4%) stated they
applied the behavior of “not spending time with the elderly since it is boring”.
The majority (female: 94.1%, male: 92%) stated that they did not practice
“addressing the elderly with names such as ‘senile’, ‘old man’, ‘old chap’”,
which is a significant finding. It was found that 87.2% of the female students and
85.1% of the male students applied the behavior of “teasing old people who wear
colorful clothes”. 79.8% of the female students and 80% of the male students stated that
they applied the behavior of “ignoring the old people’s experiences”. The majority of the
female students (92.6%) and almost all of the male students (97.7%) stated they did not
apply the behavior of “helping the elderly with their packages”, which is also a
significant finding. One out of every five women and men (female: 20.2%, male: 20%)
stated they applied the behavior “not giving their seat to the elderly in transportation
vehicles”. When students’ ageism-related behaviors were compared in regard to gender,

Table 3 Distribution of student views on ageism in terms of gender

Discrimination Not discrimination

Female Male Female Male Total Pearson p

Chi-Square
n % n % n % n % n %

Not giving priority to the 152 74.9 139 79.4 51 25.1 36 20.6 175 100.0 1.099 0.295
elderly in queues 203 100.0
Not showing respect to the 174 85.7 141 80.6 29 14.3 34 19.4 175 100.0 1.790 0.181
elderly 203 100.0
Thinking that spending time 168 82.8 138 78.9 35 17.2 37 21.1 175 100.0 0.928 0.335
with the elderly is boring 203 100.0
Teasing old people who 165 81.3 138 78.9 38 18.7 37 21.1 175 100.0 0.347 0.556
wear colourful 203 100.0
(red, yellow, orange, etc.)
clothes
Not helping the elderly with 134 66.0 123 70.3 69 34.0 52 29.7 175 100.0 0.790 0.374
their packages 203 100.0
Addressing the elderly with 191 94.1 155 88.6 12 5.9 20 11.4 175 100.0 3.692 0.055
names like ‘senile’ 203 100.0
‘old man’, ‘old chap’
Ignoring old people’s life 175 86.2 150 85.7 28 13.8 25 14.3 175 100.0 0.019 0.891
experiences 203 100.0
Not giving their seat to the 117 57.6 99 56.6 86 42.4 76 43.4 175 100.0 0.043 0.835
elderly in transportation 203 100.0
vehicles
150 Ageing Int (2012) 37:143–154

the only significant difference was found in the behavior of “helping the elderly with
their packages” (p<0.05) (Table 4).

Discussion

In the present day, old people are exposed to discrimination in many societies.
This discrimination in general stems from society’s negative outlook towards the
elderly and aging (Palmore 1999; Reed et al. 2006; Yılmaz Vefikuluçay and
Terzioğlu 2009). It was found that the students viewed all the statements except
“giving priority to the elderly in queues” as ageism. The difference between gender
was not found to be significant in any of the statements related to ageism (p>0.05)
(Table 3). Although students viewed most of the statements as ageism, they applied
most of the ageist behaviors, which is highly contradictory. Increase in

Table 4 Distribution of students’ ageism-related behaviors according to gender

Statements Female Male Pearson Chi-Square p

n % n %

Not giving priority to the elderly in queues

Practice 137 67.5 106 60.6 1.958 0.162
Do not practice 66 32.5 69 39.4
Not showing respect to the elderly
Practice 56 27.6 61 34.9 2.325 0.127
Do not practice 147 72.4 114 65.1
Not spending time with the elderly on the grounds that they are boring
Practice 154 75.9 132 75.4 0.010 0.922
Do not practice 49 24.1 43 24.6
Addressing the elderly with names like ‘senile’, ‘old man’, ‘old chap’
Practice 12 5.9 14 8.0 0.640 0.424
Do not practice 191 94.1 161 92.0
Teasing old people who wear very colourful (red, yellow, orange, etc.) clothes
Practice 177 87.2 149 85.1 0.333 0.564
Do not practice 26 12.8 26 14.9
Ignoring old people’s life experiences
Practice 162 79.8 140 80.0 0.002 0.962
Do not practice 41 20.2 35 20.0
Not helping the elderly with their packages
Practice 15 7.4 4 2.3 5.127 0.024
Do not practice 188 92.6 171 97.7
Not giving their seat to the elderly in transportation vehicles
Practice 41 20.2 35 20.0 0.002 0.962
Do not practice 162 79.8 140 80.0
TOTAL 203 100.0 175 100.0
Ageing Int (2012) 37:143–154 151

urbanization, immigration and industrialization, economic difficulties, women’s

entrance into work life, transition from large family to nuclear family, and rapid
changes in social life are factors influencing the emergence of ageism. These factors lead
young people to dislike living with the elderly, carrying their responsibilities and placing
the elderly (Türkiye Bilimler Akademisi Raporları 2003; Akdemir et al. 2007;
Imamoğlu and Imamoğlu 1992). Therefore, the youth gain negative insights into
aging and the aging process, and apply ageism to the elderly. In addition, considering
the fact that the elderly population will increase in the future, it is inevitable that
young individuals will view the elderly as a burden and have more negative opinions
about them (Yılmaz Vefikuluçay and Terzioğlu 2009). The findings of the study can
be accounted for by the fact that in Turkish culture, behaviors like respecting the
elderly, listening to and protecting them stem from traditional and fixed
expectations.
Many studies document that university students have positive opinions and
attitudes towards the elderly (Fitzgerald et al. 2003; Hughes et al. 2008; Kishimoto
et al. 2005; Lee et al. 2005; Ryan et al. 2007; Schigelone and Ingersoll-Dayton 2004;
Voogt et al. 2008). In McConatha et al.’s (McConatha et al. 2004) study, the Turkish
students were found to like spending time with the elderly, visiting old relatives and
helping the elderly more than the Americans. Also it was found that the females
from both nationalities had more positive attitudes towards the elderly (McConatha
et al. 2004). In Zhou’s (Zhou 2007) qualitative study aiming to identify university
students’ perceptions of ageism, it was found that the students viewed the elderly as
people who are happy, who carry out regular activities, and who are helpful to the
people in their environment (Zhou 2007). In their studies Fitzgerald et al. (2008)
(Fitzgerald et al. 2003) and Kishimoto et al. (2005) (Kishimoto et al. 2005) assessed
medical students’ knowledge and attitudes towards the elderly patients and they
were found to have positive attitudes. In a study by McKinlay and Cowan (2003)
(McKinlay and Cowan 2003) and Ryan et al. (2007) (Ryan et al. 2007) where they
studied nursing students, the students were found to have positive attitudes towards
the elderly patients. In addition to this, other studies examining the medical students’
attitudes towards elderly patients/individuals showed that these students had positive
attitudes towards them (Zhou 2007; Moyle 2003; Fitzgerald et al. 2003; Hughes et
al. 2008; Lee et al. 2005; Ryan et al. 2007; Schigelone and Ingersoll-Dayton 2004).
These studies showing that students have positive attitudes towards the elderly
resemble the findings of this study.
Despite this, various scales have been used in other studies aiming at identifying
university students’ attitudes towards the elderly patients. They found that the
students had negative attitudes towards the elderly (Loretto et al. 2000; Kite et al.
2005; Laditka et al. 2004; Scott et al. 1998; Zhou 2007). In Moyle’s (2003) study
where he examined the nursing students’ perceptions of the elderly, it was found that
the nursing students identified the elderly as mostly weak, sensitive and sick
individuals (Moyle 2003). In Mosher-Ashley and Ball’s (1999) study aiming to
determine the university students’ ideas about the elderly and aging, the students
were reported to view the elderly as knowledgeable people with whom they can
spend some enjoyable time. In addition, the students perceived the elderly as
physically incapacitated and dependent on others (Mosher-Asley and Ball 1999). In
Bacanli et al.’s (1994) study over Turkish and Finnish students’ prejudices against
152 Ageing Int (2012) 37:143–154

the elderly, Turkish students were found to be more worried about aging and their
expectations from life were lower (Bacanli et al. 1994).
There have also been studies aiming to identify the individual and society’s views
and attitudes towards ageism. Palmore has conducted a study to determine the
perception of ageism and old people’s frequency of exposure to ageism in Canada
and the United States of America (USA). In this study it was understood that the
elderly individuals underwent ageism in issues like benefiting from health services,
finding employment, promotion, finding accommodation and obtaining loans.
According to other study results, elderly people stated that society viewed them as
people who have hearing difficulty, difficulty in understanding the things they have
heard, and as people who are constantly ill (Palmore 2004). In Cheung et al.’s study
about identifying social workers’ and society’s beliefs about the elderly in Japan, it
was seen that the elderly were accepted as responsible, conscientious people. At the
same time, it was determined that social workers stated it did not take longer for the
elderly to learn new things when compared to young individuals, that loss of senses
is not related to aging and that the elderly need to earn enough money to make their
living (Cheung et al. 1999).
Elderly individuals are ignored in society, which leads to enormous changes in
cultural values. The study shows that students have positive attitudes towards the
elderly in Turkish society, which is a significant finding in that it foresees that young
people will have a positive outlook towards aging in their later lives.
In conclusion, the identification of university students’ views on ageism and their
ageist practices will be a guide in terms of planning the related consultancy and
training services to the youth.
In the light of the results, the following are recommended:
i- the integration of ageism and aging-related concepts into university courses,
ii- helping students’ gain ageism awareness through symposiums and panels,
iii- promoting positive attitudes and views, planning the necessary guidance and
training services in accordance with the students’ practice of ageism,
iv- carrying out qualitative studies in order to explore the underlying factors of the
study results,
v- planning, carrying out studies in order to identify student views on a larger
scale and to find out regional differences,
vi- developing measures to remove ageism in society and integrating the related
awareness-raising programmes into strategic objectives towards increasing the
development level of the country.

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Duygu Yılmaz, PhD, is an assistant professor at Mersin University, School of Health, Department of
Nursing. She recieved her doctoral degree from Hacettepe University. Her research area is reproductive
health, health services utilization of women.

Sezer Kısa, PhD, is an assistant professor at Gazi University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of
Nursing. She also has an appointment at Gaziantep University as Department Chair of Midwifery. She
recieved her doctoral degree from Hacettepe University. Her research area is aging of women, women’s
health, reproductive health, health services utilization, nursing administration and health services
utilization.

Simge Zeyneloğlu, PhD, is an assistant professor at Gaziantep University, Faculty of Health Sciences,
Department of Nursing. She recieved her doctoral degree from Hacettepe University. Her research area is
women’s health, reproductive health, birth control techniques, health services utilization, and nursing
administration.