Pilot-testing a cancer education curriculum for grades K-6

Risk behaviors established during childhood including tobacco use, sunning, and eating habits contribute to most adult cancers. This project pilot-tes ted a developmentally appropriate cancer prevention curriculum for grades K -6, using a treatment group only design with pretesting and posttesting usi ng a standardized, semistructured interview and involving 67 students (77% of eligible students) attending mixed grade classes. A seven-unit curriculu m based on cognitive development, social cognitive, and social influence th eories was taught by classroom leachers. Students showed a significant (p<. 0001) gain in conceptual understanding for causality and prevention of canc er; the gain for causality of cancer was comparable to the baseline differe nce between kindergarten and the highest (5-6) grade. Significant gains in factual knowledge and decreases in misconceptions about casual contact also were documented A developmentally based elementary school cancer preventio n curriculum can enhance young children's conceptual understanding and fact ual knowledge of common contributors to adult cancers.