Asthma is a major public health problem, with its incidence and severity increasing despite progress in treatment. Statistics indicate that 7% of 6 -11-year-olds are affected. Hospitalizations of children have increased fivefold in the past two decades. However, research indicates that education can be effective in reducing the number of attacks, the number of emergency room visits and hospitalizations, the number of missed school days, and health care costs. The long-term objective of this project is to develop an interactive multimedia product that assists elementary school-aged children with asthma and their families in effectively managing the disease. This product is intended for in-home use, but will be compatible with existing asthma education curricula. Phase I will focus on investigating the feasibility of developing such a product and assessing the receptivity of the target audiences to it: Specific objectives are to: * Analyze currently available asthma education materials and assess the adaptability of core content to an interactive multimedia application * Develop a preliminary design document * Develop and test prototype materials * Develop a design document for an interactive multimedia product, and submit in Phase I final report.
