Preparing for an ageing Tanzania: cross-sectional study assessing the undergraduate health students’ knowledge, attitudes and barriers to geriatric nutrition assessment
Rashid M Rashid, Dedius E Peter, Walter C MillanziBackground
As Tanzania experiences a rapid demographic transition towards an ageing population, the burden of geriatric malnutrition is increasing. The capacity of the health workforce to effectively screen and manage nutritional status in the elderly is critical. However, the preparedness of undergraduate health students regarding geriatric nutrition assessment remains underexplored.
Objective
This study assessed knowledge, attitudes and perceived challenges regarding geriatric nutrition assessment among undergraduate health students in Dodoma, Tanzania.
Methods
A cross-sectional analytical study involving 384 undergraduate health students, selected through simple random sampling, was conducted. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analysed using SPSS V.27. All independent variables with p≤0.2 were included in the multivariable logistic model. Independent variables with p≤0.05 and 95% CI were considered statistically significant.
Results
A total of 384 participants with a mean age of 23.61 years and an SD of ±2.00 years were included in the study. The study highlighted that 47.7% (n=183) had inadequate knowledge, 53.1% (n=204) had positive attitudes and 58.9% (n=226) experienced significant challenges. Factors such as age (20–23) years (adjusted OR (AOR)=6.998, 95% CI 2.222 to 22.038, p=0.001), marital status (AOR=6.413, 95% CI 1.279 to 32.139, p=0.024), geriatric training (AOR=0.380, 95% CI 0.222 to 0.650, p=0.001) and living with older adults (AOR=0.619, 95% CI 0.392 to 0.977, p=0.039) were significantly associated with knowledge. However, having already conducted an assessment of older adult nutritional status (AOR=1.748, 95% CI 1.085 to 2.814, p=0.022) was significantly associated with attitudes.
Conclusions
Undergraduate health students in Tanzania show moderate knowledge and attitudes but substantial challenges in geriatric nutrition assessment, largely due to limited training and exposure. Integrating dedicated geriatric nutrition modules and practical experiences into curricula is urgently needed to prepare the workforce for Tanzania’s ageing population.