SBIR-STTR Award

This grant seeks to demonstrate the feasibility of providing an interactive multi-media presentation methodology for cancer prevention information that can influence changes in behavior. We plan to employ newly developed technologies to enhance the presentation of information from something conventional to something exciting, from something humdrum to something that captures the imagination of a generation accustomed to visual, participative activity. Powerful computers, regarded as recently as two decades ago with some degree of awe and accessible only by a few highly trained people with specific missions are now commonplace and inexpensive enough to put in the first-grade classroom. CD-ROM technology, which provides storage of vast amounts of information at a cost that is an order of magnitude less than that of paper, permits the capacity to store the audio tracks, graphics, animation and full-motion video that make interactive hypermedia products possible. An ideal application of these technologies is in the reahn of information provision, specifically information related to cancer prevention. The goal of providing this information is dissimilar to many other information dissemination activities; rather than delivering the data for which someone is actively seeking because of an actual or perceived personal or business need, such a system must provide data that can induce the recipient to change behavior modes, often antithetically to perceived needs/desires.Awardee's statement of the potential commercial applications of the research:A successful CD-ROM of cancer prevention information could be used in a wide variety of settings: libraries, clinics, physician waiting rooms, etc. Primary market targets will be corporations that have wellness programs, public service organizations and foundations, and public health agencies.National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Cancer strikes many Americans and is the second largest cause of death in this country. Extensive research is done on cancer, and significant advances in treatment have been made over the years. Perhaps even more startling than the improvements in treatments have been research results that have greatly enhanced knowledge of the causes of, and preventive measures for, many types of cancer. In some situations, such as that concerning the relationship between smoking and lung cancer, very large populations can drastically reduce their chances of getting a disease by making a single lifestyle change. In other situations the evidence is not as definitive, the population not as large, or the effect not as striking, but there yet exists valid prevention information. Overall, taking a relatively few preventive measures can reduce cancer incidence from a slight amount to a very large amount for a significant number of types of cancer. If a large proportion of the population were to take these measures, the impact on the health of our society would be immense. The information about cancer preventive measures is certainly not yet universally applied. In some cases that is due to lack of knowledge, in others to a reluctance to make lifestyle changes even given the evidence. This project describes the generation of an active information presentation method, based on PC and CD- ROM technology, that interacts with the user and that has the potential to encourage behavioral change to a greater degree than conventional passive information provision techniques.

Thesaurus Terms:
cancer information system, cancer prevention, education evaluation /planning computer human interaction, optical data storage human data