Children's conceptions of AIDS, HIV and condoms: a study from Botswana

This study aimed at exploring how young children in Botswana conceptualise AIDS, HIV and condoms. Data were collected from a sample of 75 children aged four to seven years who were asked to draw a picture about AIDS and tell a story about the drawing; this was followed by three questions in which participants were asked to explain what AIDS, HIV and a condom is. Narratives and responses were categorised and coded to enable statistical analysis. Most children had conceptions of AIDS (80.0%) and condoms (78.7%), but only 45.3% of HIV; the rationality attached to them varied widely at all ages. The results suggest that four- to seven-year-old children construct their own individual and unique meaning about AIDS, HIV and condoms and they also illustrate how children utilise their own experiences to arrive at their conclusions. Even when children narrated some correct HIV and AIDS information, their understanding of it contradicted its correct meaning. Children's interpretations of AIDS-related knowledge carried a potential for emotional distress. Many children had a negative conception of condoms associated with fear and the belief that a condom would cause illness and AIDS. The findings are of significance for parent education, HIV prevention education and for health care professionals providing antiretroviral treatment to children.