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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

John H. Holmes, PhD, Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 726 Blockley Hall, 423 Guardian Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19104, 215-898-4833, jholmes@cceb.med.upenn.edu, Nkuchia M'ikanatha, DrPH, MPH, Pennsylvania Department of Health, Commonwealth and Foster, Harrisburg, PA 17120, and Joshua P. Metlay, MD PhD, Philadelphia V A Medical Center, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine /CCEB, 712 Blockley Hall, 423 Guardian Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19104.

Overuse of antibiotics contributes to concern about antimicrobial-resistant bacterial infections. Patients continue to engage in antibiotic overuse practices, suggesting misguided patient-held beliefs and expectations that may be alterable by educational interventions. Five focus groups were held with healthy adults recruited from the community to identify approaches to designing such an intervention. The groups consistently suggested an intervention targeted at children, with the aim of their becoming agents of change within their families. Consequently, a computer game using a “Space Invaders” theme was developed. The game is intended to be played during health classes by children in 4th-6th grades. The player acts in the role of a healthcare provider, helping a virtual “patient,” represented as a child matching the gender and self-identified race of the player. The “patient” has emotive facial expressions and provides audible feedback, reflecting her physical state in response to the player's actions. The player fires “weapons” (icons representing bed rest or antibiotics) at “enemy invaders” represented graphically as viruses or bacteria. Hitting a virus with a bed rest icon causes the virus to disappear; hitting it with antibiotics does not affect the virus, but as bacteria appear, they become increasingly difficult to “kill” with antibiotics, indicating emerging resistance. The game continues until a predetermined number of bacteria and viruses have been “killed” by the player and the “patient” is healthy. The game will be demonstrated at APHA, and piloted in several Pennsylvania schools in 2006 to evaluate the impact of the game on antibiotic-seeking behavior and knowledge.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand approaches to changing health beliefs and attitudes through the use of change agents.
• Identify innovative computerized methods for health education and communication
• Describe approaches to seamless transition between qualitative research and health promotion intervention development

Keywords: Antibiotic Resistance, Computer-Assisted

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No