title: General practitioners' knowledge of ageing and attitudes towards older people in China.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore general practitioners (GPs)knowledge of ageing, attitudes towards older people and factors affecting their knowledge and attitudes in a Chinese context.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four hundred GPs were surveyed using the Chinese version of the Aging Semantic Differential (CASD) and the Chinese version of the Facts on Aging Quiz (CFAQ1) scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The CASD scores indicated that GPs had a neutral attitude towards older people. The CFAQ1 scores indicated a low level of knowledge about ageing. GPs' awareness of the mental and social facts of ageing was poorer compared to that of physical facts. Male GPs had a significantly higher negative bias score than female GPs. No other variables had a statistically significant influence on knowledge and attitudes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings suggest the need for education interventions for GPs regarding knowledge of ageing and also provide evidence to guide future development of continuing medical programs for this group of medical doctors.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Yanni
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing & Midwifery, Faculty of Health Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.
authors.forename: Lily Dongxia
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: Flinders Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.
authors.forename: Shahid
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ullah
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Lanlan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Deng
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D063506:Ageism / Q000523:psychology; D000375:Aging / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D044466:Asian People / Q000523:psychology*; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel / Q000208:ethnology; D002681:China; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing; D005260:Female; D058005:General Practitioners / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology*; D005853:Geriatrics / Q000193:education; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice / Q000208:ethnology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010822:Physicians, Women / Q000523:psychology; D012737:Sex Factors; D013240:Stereotyping; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: ageing; attitude; continuing medical education; general practitioner; knowledge