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Cancer Control Research

Abstract

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 l2 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. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: Computer use in education is increasing rapidly. The CDC is planning to issue national skin cancer prevention guidelines for inclusion K-12 comprehensive health education. All U.S. schools will be encouraged to incorporate sun safety in their curriculum. Thus, the sun safety CD-ROM curriculum has potential commercial application in public and private elementary schools, preschools, public libraries, as well as the home market, over the Internet, and for worksite wellness and managed care prevention programs.