SBIR-STTR Award

Skin cancer is epidemic and prevention must start in childhood to reduce lifetime ultraviolet radiation exposure and severe sunburns. Partners for Health Systems, Inc. (PHS) will initiate production of an interactive multimedia (CD-ROM) version of the effective Sunny Days, Healthy Ways (SDHW) elementary-school sun safety curriculum and assess students' and teachers' reactions to it in two Colorado public elementary schools in the Weld-County School District (Greely and Evans, CO). Multimedia are increasingly attractive to health educators, teachers, students, and parents. The target population for this Phase I project is students enrolled in grades K and 2. To build upon ongoing development of grade 4 CD-ROM programs (CRFA study), the design and production of the multimedia SDHW will include the preparation of concept plans and prototype CD-ROM activities for grades K and 2. Personal interviews with 24 students and 8 teachers will provide descriptive data. The authoring of the CD-ROM multimedia proto types will be performed under contract by the AMC Cancer Research Center's Communications Core.Proposed Commercial Application:Not avaliable

Thesaurus Terms:
cancer prevention, computer program /software, computer system design /evaluation, curriculum, elementary school, neoplasm /cancer education, skin neoplasm education evaluation /planning, health behavior, interactive multimedia, optical data storage, sunscreen clinical research, human subject, interview, middle childhood (6-11)NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE

Skin cancer is epidemic and prevention must start in childhood to reduce lifetime ultraviolet radiation exposure and severe sunburns. Partners for Health Systems, Inc. (PHS) will produce an interactive multimedia CD-ROM version of the Sunny Days, Healthy Ways (SDHW) elementary school sun safety curriculum and evaluate its effectiveness at increasing knowledge, changing attitudes favorably; and increasing sun safe behavior. The target population for this Phase II project is students enrolled in grades K through 5 in eight public elementary schools in metro Denver and Greeley, Colorado. Multimedia are increasingly attractive to health educators, teachers, students, and parents. This Phase II project will build upon the grade K and 2 prototypes from Phase I (SBIR #1R43CA76755) to design and produce a complete SDHW multimedia program. The authoring of the CD-ROM multimedia programs will be performed under contract by the AMC Cancer Research Center's Health Communications Core. Agent-based, knowledge-construction interfaces will be programmed into the CD-ROMs to function as intelligent tutors for students. The ability of the CD-ROM SDHW to improve children's sun protection behavior (primary outcome) will be tested in a pair-matched randomized pretest/posttest control group design, employing 12 schools, 144 classes, and 2,160 students. Data analysis will be performed under contract by the AMC Cancer Research Center's Research Methodology and Biometrics Department.