WHAT DO MINORITY ELEMENTARY STUDENTS UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE CAUSES OF ACQUIRED-IMMUNODEFICIENCY-SYNDROME, COLDS, AND OBESITY

Elementary school-age children's conceptual understanding and factual knowledge about the causes of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS ), colds, and obesity are poorly understood, particularly among black children living in low-income, urban neighborhoods. We examined minori ty children's conceptual understanding about the causes of these illne sses. In addition, children's factual knowledge and misconceptions abo ut the causal agents of AIDS, colds, and obesity were investigated. A developmentally based, semistructured interview was developed to measu re children's level of understanding about the causes of each conditio n. Interviews were conducted with 239, predominately black, first, thi rd, and fifth grade students attending two public elementary schools i n a low income city in northern California. Interviews were verbally a dministered and tape recorded for later verbatim transcription. Childr en's responses to, questions about causality first were scored based o n their level of conceptual sophistication. Responses then were assign ed to thematic categories reflecting the children's factual knowledge about the causes of AIDS, colds, and obesity. Increases in grade level were associated with higher scores for causality of AIDS (p < .0001), colds (p < .0001), and obesity (p < .01). In all three conditions, ca usality scores increased between first and fifth grades, but did not s ignificantly vary between third and fifth grades. Gender, socioeconomi c status, and number of adults living in the household were not signif icantly associated with causality scores. Within each grade, the findi ng of lower causality scores for AIDS, as compared to colds and obesit y, points out the need for developmentally appropriate explanations to children about the causes of AIDS. Finally, children at all three gra de levels lacked factual knowledge and had many misconceptions about t he causes of AIDS, colds, and obesity.