The sexual behavior of American adolescents has become a national concern. One out of every ten females between the ages of 15 and 19 has a pregnancy each year, and, by age 21, approximately one out of every five young people has required treatment for a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Although education is but one among many interventions that should be employed to reduce teenage pregnancy and STD infection, new technologies, such as interactive multimedia, have rarely been investigated as delivery media for sexuality instruction. To exploit the potential of multimedia for effecting behavioral change among teenagers, American Research Corporation of Virginia proposes the ongoing development of """"""""Promotion of Responsible Sexuality with Multimedia"""""""" (PRISM), a fourth generation sexuality education program presented by interactive multimedia and targeted for adolescents in grades 9 and 10. The Phase I program yielded a proof-of-concept presentation consisting of text and graphics that focused on pregnancy prevention. Phase II specific aims include development of additional instructional activities for pregnancy and STD prevention, integration of the instructional activities with full motion video and audio, and evaluation of the intervention with regard to changes in knowledge, attitudes, and behavior.

Proposed Commercial Applications

With the phenomenal growth of home computer purchases, potential markets of the proposed software include families with adolescents as well as schools. In a school environment, the program could be integrated with existing school sexuality education programs or implemented as a stand-alone curriculum. With the increased popularity of juvenile electronic bulletin board services, the program could be advertised and distributed by state and private educational networks.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
Type
Small Business Innovation Research Grants (SBIR) - Phase II (R44)
Project #
5R44HD029660-03
Application #
2673699
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG2-HUD-3 (01))
Project Start
1997-09-15
Project End
2001-08-31
Budget Start
1998-09-01
Budget End
2000-08-31
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
1998
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
American Research Corp of Virginia
Department
Type
DUNS #
130534357
City
Radford
State
VA
Country
United States
Zip Code
24143