Body knowledge and concerns of children with cancer as compared with the knowledge and concerns of other children

This is a report of a comparative study of body-related knowledge and concerns expressed by three groups of school-age children with (a) a diagnosis of cancer, (b) a chronic or acute orthopedic problem of the extremities, and (c) no serious health problem. Information was obtained from interviews using the Gellert index of Body Knowledge, a sentence-completion test, and a freehand drawing of a house. Data were examined using distributive and comparative statistics. The meaning and clinical usefulness of the findings are discussed.