Interactive Multimedia to Teach Asthma Self Management

We will investigate and develop an interactive multimedia for asthma self-management educationtargeted toward children aged 6-9 inclusive. Interactive multimedia is the integration of audiovisualtechnology (as well as text and graphics) with computer-simulated human interaction to control activitiesand to monitor user responses to computer-generated questions. Interactive multimedia is theeducational medium of choice for learning strategies based on games and simulations, which haveproven especially successful in effecting behavioral change among young children. Phase I specific aimsinclude development of an asthma self-management program modeled after existing programs,integration of the program with interactive multimedia presentation technology, and formative evaluationof the system with regard to ease of use and short-term effects, such as knowledge and attitudinalchanges. Long-term effects, such as number of emergency treatments or school absences, will beascertained in Phase II. The significance of this effort is the innovative combination of animation andcomputer-assisted instruction for childhood asthma self-management instruction.