Introduction:
Intergenerational engagement and attitudes toward aging among emerging health professionals are important foundations for patient-centered care of older adults. Positive engagement toward aging may enhance empathy, communication, and care pathway quality. This study examined aging attitudes—specifically enjoyment and engagement—and explored differences by gender, race/ethnicity, and frequency of interactions with older adults.

Methods:
A validated 8-item, two-factor aging attitudes scale (enjoyment; engagement) was administered to emerging health professionals enrolled in health and human services programs at a large public university (n = 999). Mean scores were compared across gender, race/ethnicity, and weekly interaction frequency with older adults (weekly or less vs. weekly or more).

Results:
The sample included 39% white, 25% Hispanic, 19% Black, 10% Asian, and 7% multiracial participants; 78% were female. Engagement scores differed by demographic factors and interaction patterns. White male students reported lower engagement compared with white female students (8.83 vs. 9.57; p = .006). Students interacting with older adults more frequently demonstrated significantly higher engagement among Asian (8.14 vs. 9.05; p = .017) and Hispanic students (8.53 vs. 9.08; p = .02). No significant differences were observed among Black students by gender or interaction frequency.

Conclusions:
Meaningful variation in engagement toward aging exists among emerging health professionals, shaped by demographic and intergenerational experience factors. These findings highlight opportunities to strengthen aging-positive attitudes early in training to support more patient-centered communication and optimized care pathways for older adults. Integrating aging-attitude assessments into educational programs may help identify readiness gaps and guide targeted strategies to enhance engagement with aging populations.