Reducing ageism combining ageing education with clinical practice: A prospective cohort study in health sciences students.

AIM: To analyse the impact of an intervention combining ageing education with clinical practice in nursing homes on a nursing cohort's negative stereotypes and prejudices towards ageing. DESIGN: A prospective cohort study was conducted in September 2019-October 2020 in a population of health sciences students (n = 222). METHODS: Questionnaire of Negative Stereotypes towards Aging (CENVE) and Aging Semantic Differential (DSE) were used to examine negative stereotypes and prejudices towards ageing in the nursing cohort exposed to the ageing education and practice intervention compared to a medical cohort that received no intervention. Group-by-time interaction, controlled by sex and age, for the effect of the intervention on CENVE and DSE scores was determined by mixed-design ANOVA. RESULTS: The nursing cohort significantly reduced negative stereotypes and prejudices towards ageing when compared to the medical cohort in total (F = 26.926; p < 0.001), health factor (F = 16.812; p < 0.001), motivational and social factor (F = 11.266; p = 0.001), and character and personality factor (F = 19.202; p < 0.001) scores of CENVE scale and in DSE (F = 7.826; p = 0.006).

Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Lifestyles of Health Sciences University Students in Spain: A Longitudinal Study.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted daily activities worldwide. University students may have experienced substantial changes in daily living as a result of restrictions on university attendance. The return to normalcy may take a long time, and understanding the influence that shifts in daily routines have had on the lifestyles of university students may inform approaches to support overall well-being. We analyzed changes in the lifestyles of students enrolled at a health sciences university during the COVID-19 pandemic. This longitudinal study took place at the Faculty of Medicine and Nursing in the University of the Basque Country in Spain, and the final sample consisted of 113 nursing students, 109 medical students, and 45 physiotherapy students. Our results demonstrate changes in lifestyles of university students during the pandemic. MedDiet adherence scores and the percentage of students with high adherence increased during the pandemic. This increase was due to the increased consumption of vegetables and nuts. In terms of physical activity, the practice of moderate and intense physical activity was maintained. These results provide important information for both public health authorities and educational institutions to guide strategies to maintain the well-being of students and enhance opportunities for young adults to lead a healthy lifestyle.