Correlates of child care providers' interpretation of pediatric AIDS: implications for education and training

A total of 212 child care providers residing in a southeastern state were surveyed about their knowledge and attitudes toward AIDS and child care policies. Providers' feeling about caring for an HIV-infected child, rather than their perceived knowledge of AIDS, were most consistently correlated with their factual knowledge and positive attitudes toward AIDS. These results suggest that providers may pay more attention to AIDS information and become more accepting of recommended child care policies when they are able to personalize AIDS within the context of their work with young children. Implications for education are discussed within the context of the Health Belief Model.