Digital health game on cervical health and its effects on vietnamese women's cervical cancer knowledge

Background Vietnamese American women have a higher cervical cancer rate than any ethnic group in the United States. The purpose of this study was to develop and test the effectiveness of a culturally tailored digital game to improve knowledge of HPV and cervical cancer among Vietnamese women. Objective By the end of this presentation, the participants will realize that this game we created can be: • Fun to play and highly educational about HPV and cervical cancer; • Superior to pamphlets and websites as educational tools; • More useful to people who speak non-English languages. Methods A multi-player digital board game was developed and tested in English and Vietnamese. The educational component of the game focuses on dispelling myths held within the Vietnamese American community about cervical health. Results 103 women participated in pre and post intervention surveys. The participants' ages ranged from 18 to 74, with a mean of 36. The preliminary findings suggest that Vietnamese American women who participated in the intervention significantly increased their knowledge of cervical cancer and HPV. The majority of participants (87%) reported the game was better and more fun than traditional educational methods. Conclusions The findings suggest that a health intervention as a serious health game play affected participants' knowledge of HPV and cervical cancer and motivated Vietnamese participants to act on the information. Results of this study highlight the need to explore nontraditional methods of educating this high risk population regarding cervical cancer. Lessons learned and implications of study findings will be discussed.