Research Outcomes

Summary:

In this study, we examined changes in elementary school students’ attitudes toward people living with dementia (PLWD) and their intentions to help across two successive cohorts that received different versions of an age-friendly education program. A quasi-experimental design was employed with two cohorts of sixth-grade students from the same elementary school (fiscal year 2023 [FY2023]: n = 63; FY2024: n = 69). The FY2024 program differed from the FY2023 program in several respects, including the addition of an intergenerational exchange component. Attitudes toward PLWD were assessed using a modified 14-item Attitudes Toward Dementia Scale, and helping intentions were assessed using four community-based vignettes. Outcomes were measured at baseline (T1), after the classroom-based components (T2), and approximately 3 months later (T3). In FY2024, the intergenerational component was conducted between T2 and T3, with T3 administered immediately after its completion. In FY2024, attitudes improved from T1 to T2 and again from T2 to T3, whereas helping intentions improved from T1 to T2 but showed no further improvement from T2 to T3. A statistically significant Time × Year interaction was observed for attitudes, with a significant quadratic component, F(1, 124) = 7.62, p = .007, partial η² = 0.058, indicating that the overall pattern of attitude change differed between the two cohorts. The FY2024 cohort showed an additional within-cohort improvement following the final program component; however, the specific contribution of the intergenerational exchange could not be isolated because the program versions differed in multiple respects.

https://doi.org/10.1080/03601277.2026.2731251