Social Game to Improve Hearing Health Care Outcomes

DESCRIPTION provided by applicant Noise induced hearing loss NIHL is the second most common form of hearing deficit affecting about million American adults In addition about one in eight children have NIHL in the US million children and it is estimated that of US adolescents have hearing loss We propose the development of a social game to educate teenagers about NIHL and promote healthy hearing behaviors with the potential to improve hearing health care by developing and translating technologies that address the following existing barrier listed in RFA DC andquot Knowledge Barriers health literacy and language barriers can inhibit healthcare delivery including the patientandapos s knowledge of their healthcare needs andquot There is an untapped potential to disseminate healthcare programs through social games e g in Facebook where the majority of teens spend time online with the potential to educate and promote healthy behaviors Our novel social game called andquot Noisy Cityandquot NC will leverage the power of social networks as a program to increase the awareness about NIHL and how to prevent it NC will contain education on NIHL and gaming components to promote healthy hearing behaviors e g identify noise sources avoid long exposure to loud sounds use ear protection do a hearing test etc NC game story teen wakes up in the mysterious Noisy City full of loud noises and dangerous decibels Player discovers that his her destiny is to become a Rock Star to change the city while preserving andquot hearing power andquot NC will be andquot designed to entertainandquot content entertainment | education by applying fun activities entertaining storytelling cool avatars growing challenges reinforcing feedback mystery comic relief aesthetic graphics other game mechanics and social game strategies This is expected to increase user motivation improve knowledge promote healthy behaviors and encourage teens to play share the game NC integrates an adventure game social features and learning modules NC features a virtual city where the game character wants to andquot become a Rock Starandquot and is exposed to loud sounds e g room with loud music concerts sporting events etc Healthy behaviors e g wear ear plugs will be rewarded with extra points Game levels will be unlocked by watching NC videos about NIHL and users will be motivated to invite friends in Facebook to participate e g form a band help in the game send virtual gifts like musical instruments etc Teens may have a deeper knowledge of healthy behaviors and be more engaged with games than listening to a lecture for example as games help to build character players experience consequences of good bad behaviors in the game which are internalized by players andquot they may think feel as their avatarsandquot e g andquot hearing power damaged due to loud noiseandquot and no longer limited to an abstract concept that happens to other people Innovation research on social game based interventions is an unexplored field NC is one of the first Facebook social games for NIHL prevention if not the first PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE Noise Induced Hearing Loss NIHL is a progressive irreversible permanent and preventable condition that tends to occur subtly over the course of several years and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC andquot an estimated of children and adolescents aged years approximately million and of adults aged years approximately million have suffered permanent damage to their hearing from excessive exposure to noise andquot NIHL is a very important public health problem particularly for children million children with NIHL as they are not aware of the problem and most people donandapos t realize their hearing is damaged until it is seriously enough to impede their ability to communicate usually when they are much older As children are at risk for permanent hearing loss by long exposure to high level sounds e g loud music or video spectator sports concerts etc more effective prevention programs are needed such as the proposed andquot Noisy Cityandquot social game to increase the awareness of NIHL and how to prevent it with a high potential for user engagement and dissemination through Facebook the largest and most adopted online social networking