Introduction
In recent years, socio-economic development, declining fertility, and increasing life expectancy have created significant changes in the structure of the world's population [1]. Accordingly, the role of the elderly and their social importance in society will become more prominent than ever [4, 5]. With the onset of old age and retirement, most retired elderly people face changes in different dimensions of life [5, 6]. Since some studies have shown the positive impact of learning on the health and well-being of individuals, universities can play a key role in the overall personal and social health of third age learners (adults aged 50-75 years who do not have regular work or family responsibilities) by communicating more effectively with them [14, 15]. Due to the lack of expansion of such universities in our country, this study determines the facilitators and barriers to the tendency of older adults to third third-generation universities.

Methods & Materials 
The present qualitative study was conducted in 2021 using content analysis and a conventional approach after approval by the Ethics Committee of Babol University of Medical Sciences using a purposive sampling method. In this way, 19 members of the Shahrekord Retirement Association (Shahrekord City, Iran) and individuals introduced by the participants were selected, who had been retired for at least one year and had the maximum diversity of gender and education level. In addition to literacy, there was a willingness to participate in interviews and the ability to communicate verbally. The data collection method was semi-structured in-depth interviews, which continued until data saturation was reached (i.e., concept development was well-established and the continuation of the interview did not add any new data to the previous data [29].
Each interview was immediately transcribed after execution and, after several reviews, was broken down into constituent semantic units and the smallest meaningful units (codes). Codes were extracted from the interview texts by the professor and the student independently using MAXQDA software, version 10. The codes were then reread to replace the sub-categories and main categories based on semantic similarity, and eventually, the researcher and participants reached a shared meaning about the categories. The location and time of the interviews were based on the elderly person's preference. The results of each interview guided the next interview. The questions were included in the interview guide format and were reviewed by several expert professors (2 gerontologists and 1 community health professional) to determine their validity. Subsequently, at least one pilot interview was conducted, preferably after an initial introduction and familiarization with a general and open-ended question.

Results 
To determine the acceptability of the data, there was continuous engagement with the topic and data. The opinions of the research team professors were used in connection with the interview process and data analysis. The interview text and extracted codes, and sub-classifications were discussed with 4 experts in the health of the elderly. To determine the validity of the findings, all activities were recorded, and a report of the research process was presented. Additionally, to ensure the acceptability and reliability of the data obtained in the study, the observer review method was used so that the findings were based on real data. 
In addition, for transferability, the researcher made this possible by using a sampling method with maximum diversity (in terms of demographic characteristics including age, gender, education level, socio-economic status (income, place of residence), and number of years since retirement), and some of the study results were confirmed by participants or similar backgrounds. Meanwhile, the discussion and comparison of the findings of the present study with other studies have been examined and used to assess the relevance of the data. A total of 364 preliminary codes were extracted from the total number of interviews. The codes obtained during the analysis process are divided into 2 main categories: barriers in the tendency of older adults to university, including 7 subgroups (changes in the learning process with age, distance and transportation, lack of social trust, socio-economic problems, lack of sufficient opportunities, disabilities in old age, concern for young people); facilitators in the tendency of older adults to university were divided into 7 subgroups (the presence of well-being and comfort in life, the absence of responsibility and expense, the presence of support and special privileges, increasing the level of awareness and culture, localization of the university and programs, the participation of capable retirees in programs, and the importance of different perspectives or interests of individuals).

Conclusion
Considering the change in the learning process of individuals with increasing age, the lack of social trust in society, socio-economic problems, concerns about distance and transportation, and the presence of disabilities in old age, relative well-being and comfort in life, favorable physical conditions, and support for individuals are necessary for people to tend to such universities and it is necessary to form a working group of experts and experts to provide the necessary infrastructure and to formulate, review, and monitor the implementation of the laws of third-generation universities, so that appropriate planning and organization can be used to remove obstacles and create third-generation universities based on the cultural and social characteristics of Iranian society, which is an important step towards promoting and improving the quality of life of the elderly. Mass media can also influence the level of awareness, skills, and culture of individuals by advertising, informing, and expressing the goals and programs of third-generation universities.

Ethical Considerations
Compliance with ethical guidelines
This study was approved by the ethics committee of Babol University of Medical Sciences (Code: IR.MUBABOL.HRI.REC.1400.018)

Funding
This study was extracted from the MSc thesis of the first author at the Student Research Committee, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol City, Iran.

Authors' contributions
All authors equally contributed to preparing this article.

Conflicts of interest
The authors declared no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgments
The authors express their gratitude and appreciation for the support of the respected elderly people and Babol University of Medical Sciences in conducting this research.

 

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