Citation

Peltzer K, Promtussananon S. Child Care Health Dev. 2003; 29(5): 385-393.

Affiliation

Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS and Health, Human Sciences Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa. KPeltzer@hsrc.ac.za

Copyright

(Copyright © 2003, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

12904247

Abstract

PURPOSE: To examine the understanding of both health and illness (colds, broken arms, chicken pox, AIDS) in the same black South African children METHOD: The sample included 60 children (30 were 5-year-olds and 30 were 9-year-olds) selected by simple random sampling from a rural primary school. They were interviewed, using a semi-structured interview schedule, about their understanding of health issues and their exposure to learning about health or sickness. RESULTS: Differences across age in children's expressed understanding of health and illnesses were found. The 9-year-olds were more likely to give objective signs of chicken pox and AIDS than the 5-year-olds. They also knew more about objective symptoms of colds, chicken pox and AIDS, and were more likely to mention non-observable signs of colds and broken arms. Although there were no differences between the two age groups regarding 'knowing' strategies for avoiding illnesses, the older children had a more accurate knowledge about preventive measures than the younger children. The understanding of AIDS followed the same developmental sequence reported for children's understanding of general physical illness. CONCLUSION: The results have implications for the creation of developmentally appropriate and effective health and AIDS education curricula for primary and elementary grades.

Language: en