The structure of children's beliefs about health and illness

This study examined the structure of causal beliefs in children, concentrating on attributions by children about "staying well" vs. "getting sick." Eighty-two children in grades one, three, five, and seven-eight participated in the study. Children were asked pairwise to compare five causes of health and five causes of illness. Self-controlled or self-initiated actions were the most highly ranked causes of health. As a cause of illness, self-initiated behaviors were ranked second to germs and bad weather. Health and illness seemed to be understood as reciprocal aspects of the concept "health" by older but not by younger children. Results are discussed in relation to attributions made at different age levels.