Children's knowledge and affective response to AIDS

Given the urgency of the AIDS crisis, the current emphasis is on prevention of the disease. School-age children may be considered a vulnerable population at risk for future development of HIV infection. Prevention needs to involve educational programs founded on children's knowledge and beliefs about AIDS. Scant literature exists on children's cognition and affective response to AIDS. In this study, 58 school-age children were interviewed to determine their attitudes, beliefs, and emotional response to AIDS. Findings indicate that, in this sample, children had little specific knowledge of AIDS etiology, transmission, or treatment. They expressed negative emotional response to the discussion of AIDS. Health educational programs need to be designed to target children's need for accurate AIDS information that reflects their developmental stage.