Building on Phase I results, this Phase II study will: Develop software for delivering intervention to reduce cancer risks associated with tobacco use and dietary habits among Native American adolescents; Compare the effects of the software with conventional group intervention in a randomized clinical trial with a representative sample of Native American adolescents; and, Analyze the costs of both modes of intervention delivery. Data from Phase I established the feasibility of using interactive computer software to deliver intervention for reducing cancer risks among Native American youth. Phase II will expand the software into a curriculum of five, 40-minute interactive lessons. Once developed, the software will undergo field testing in a randomized trial with Native American youths from urban sites in the northeastern United States. The ability of the software to effectively and efficiently deliver cancer prevention content will be investigated by comparing the software curriculum with a conventional group intervention curriculum. Of interest to the comparison will be outcome variables on Native American youth subjects measured before, after, and semiannually following intervention delivery and process variables on subjects' perceptions of intervention and the costs of intervention in terms of time and resources consumed. If found effective and efficient, software produced in Phase II will be disseminated nationally to relevant Native American organizations to reach the greatest number of youths at the lowest possible cost.
Once tested and found effective, interactive software for delivering cancer prevention materials will reach a large market of Native American organizations. In so doing, the software will address gaps in the availability of culturally sensitive, theory based, and empirically tested cancer prevention strategies for Native American adolescents.
