Extended Abstract
1. Introduction
ging is a period in which changes occur in the appearance and functioning of internal and external organs of the body, making environmental adaptation difficult for people [1]. Evidence suggests that in 2005, the rate of older people was 15.3% of the world’s population, which is estimated to reach 20.8% by 2025 [2]. Occupational Therapy (OT) is one of the rehabilitation interventions and provides services to seniors. The important role of OT in the aging period is preventing functional disability [3]. Many studies have concluded that the attitude of health service providers and the quality of care are directly related to each other [4]. Healthcare staff has different attitudes and beliefs towards older people. In addition, having a negative thought and attitude undoubtedly affects the care and provision of effective services to them [5]. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the attitudes of OT students and graduates towards old people.
2. Participants and methods
This was an analytical study with a cross-sectional design. The study population consisted of all undergraduate students (semester 7 and above) and graduated students (BA degree and above) of OT from the universities in different cities of Iran (i.e. Tehran, Hamedan, Semnan, Isfahan, Tabriz, Arak, Shiraz, Mazandaran, and Ahvaz). The undergraduate samples were selected among those who participated in the National Congress of Occupational Therapy in 2016 using convenience sampling method. For selecting graduate samples, an email was sent to all graduates whose medical council code ended in even numbers containing an explanation of the study objectives and a written consent form. The final sample size was 120 (51 undergraduate students and 74 graduates). After one week, a questionnaire was emailed to all those who volunteered to participate in the study, and they sent it back after completion.
Data collection tools included a demographic form (surveying individual characteristics, grade, employment status, the place of service or education, the year of birth, work experience, the field of work, and the experience of caring for older people) and the Iranian version of Kogan’s Attitude Toward Old People (KAOP) scale. It has 34 items measuring the two subscales of prejudice and appreciation (17 items each). The questions are measured on a 6-point Likert-type scale. The obtainable score ranges from 34 to 238. After collecting data, they were analyzed in SPSS using descriptive statistics (i.e. frequency, mean±SD, and percentage) and statistical tests (i.e. Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests).
3. Results
Of the 125 samples, 70 were females and 55 males; most of them (40.8%) were undergraduate students and among graduates, the least frequency was related to those with PhD degree (2.4%). The Mean±SD age of the study participants was 24.1±4.22 years (age range: 21-45 years). The obtained data suggested that with the increase of educational level, the attitude of samples tended to be positive where the lowest mean attitude score belonged to undergraduate students (149.13) and the highest to PhD graduates (164.66). In total, 90.4% of graduates with bachelor degree had a work experience of <5 years. The mean attitude score of those with work experience of <5 years was 150.84, and for those with work experience of >5 years, it was 157.16; however, there was no significant difference between them (P=0.276). Most of the samples were students; therefore, those without a field of work had a higher percentage than others (44%) followed by those whose fields of work were pediatrics (28.8%) and adults (25.6%). 
The mean attitude score of those working in the mental health area was higher and there was little difference between the mean score of those working in the fields of pediatrics and adults.  Only 16 (12.8%) subjects reported an experience of caring for older people and 109 (87.2%) reported no related experience; the mean attitude score of them was almost equal (P=0.92). Table 1 presents information about the frequency and Mean±SD of study variables. There was a significant difference in the attitudes of undergraduate and graduate students with respect to their educational level. In this regard, a pairwise comparison was conducted between them. The achieved results indicated that the mean attitude scores between undergraduate and masters students, and between those graduated with bachelors and masters degrees were significantly different (P=0.039).  In terms of other study variables, no significant difference was reported (P>0.05).

4. Conclusion
The current study investigated the attitudes of OT students and graduates towards old people. The overall mean score of samples was 151.448, in this regard. We compared this mean value with 34 as the lowest score (negative attitude) and 238 as the highest score of KAOP (positive attitude). As a result, the attitude of Iranian OT students towards older people tends to be positive; however, given the increased contact of occupational therapists with older people, this attitude score is not adequate yet. The obtained results can be beneficial for planning to improve the attitude toward old people in future research. It is also necessary to implement specific programs such as holding workshops and educating effective communication with older people to promote this attitude in occupational therapists.
Ethical Considerations
Compliance with ethical guidelines
All ethical principles were considered in this article. The participants were informed about the purpose of the research and its implementation stages; They were also assured about the confidentiality of their information; Moreover, They were allowed to leave the study whenever they wish, and if desired, the results of the research would be available to them. 
Funding
This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Authors contributions
All authors contributed in preparing this article.
Conflicts of interest
The authors declared no conflict of interest.
Acknowledgements
In this regard, we thank the Welfare Organization of the province for cooperation in introducing researchers to the Shemiranat rehabilitation department and facilitate the issuance of permits to visit nursing homes. We also thank the senior managers of the private sector, especially the nursing homes of Arad, Nourest, Parsayan, Kimia and Parham.