Social Game to Improve Hearing Health Care Outcomes

描述（由申请人提供）：噪声性听力损失（NIHL）是第二常见的听力损失形式，影响着大约2600万美国成年人。此外，在美国，大约八分之一的儿童患有NIHL（约520万儿童），据估计，20%的美国青少年患有听力损失。我们建议开发一款社交游戏，通过开发和翻译技术来解决RFA-DC-12-004中列出的以下障碍，教育青少年关于NIHL的知识，并促进健康的听力行为，从而有可能改善听力保健：“知识障碍-健康素养和语言障碍会阻碍医疗保健的提供，包括患者对其医疗保健需求的了解。”通过社交游戏（游戏邦注：例如Facebook）传播医疗保健计划的潜力尚未开发，大多数青少年都在社交游戏中上网，这有可能教育和促进健康行为。我们的新社交游戏《嘈杂的城市》（NC）将利用社交网络的力量，作为一个提高人们对NIHL以及如何预防它的意识的项目。NC将包含有关NIHL和游戏组件的教育，以促进健康的听力行为（例如识别噪声源，避免长时间接触大声声音，使用耳朵保护，做听力测试等）。NC游戏故事：青少年醒来在神秘嘈杂的城市，充满了巨大的噪音和危险的分贝。玩家发现他/她的命运是成为摇滚明星改变城市，同时保留“听力”。NC将“以娱乐为目的”（内容：70%娱乐bb0 30%教育），通过应用有趣的活动，有趣的故事叙述，酷的化身，不断增长的挑战，强化反馈，神秘，喜剧缓解，美学图形，其他游戏机制和社交游戏策略。这有望增加用户的动机，提高知识，促进健康的行为，并鼓励青少年玩/分享游戏。NC集成了冒险游戏，社交功能和学习模块。《NC》以一个虚拟城市为特色，游戏角色想要“成为摇滚明星”，并暴露在嘈杂的声音中（例如有嘈杂音乐，音乐会，体育赛事等的房间）。健康的行为（例如戴耳塞）将获得额外的分数。玩家可以通过观看NC关于NIHL的视频来解锁游戏关卡，用户也会受到激励，邀请Facebook上的好友参与其中（游戏邦注：如组建乐队，在游戏中提供帮助，赠送虚拟礼物，如乐器等）。青少年可能对健康行为有更深入的了解，也更热衷于游戏（而不是听讲座），因为游戏有助于塑造性格。玩家在游戏中体验到好/坏行为的后果，这些后果被玩家内化（“他们可能会像自己的化身那样思考/感觉”）。“听力因噪音过大而受损”)，而不再局限于发生在其他人身上的抽象概念。创新：基于社交游戏的干预研究是一个未开发的领域。《NC》是第一款具有NIHL预防功能的Facebook社交游戏。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is the second most common form of hearing deficit, affecting about 26 million American adults. In addition, about one in eight children have NIHL in the US (~5.2 million children), and it is estimated that 20% of US adolescents have hearing loss. We propose the development of a social game to educate teenagers about NIHL, and promote healthy hearing behaviors with the potential to improve hearing health care, by developing and translating technologies that address the following existing barrier listed in RFA-DC-12-004: "Knowledge Barriers-health literacy and language barriers can inhibit healthcare delivery, including the patient's knowledge of their healthcare needs." There is an untapped potential to disseminate healthcare programs through social games (e.g. in Facebook), where the majority of teens spend time online, with the potential to educate and promote healthy behaviors. Our novel social game called "Noisy City" (NC) will leverage the power of social networks, as a program to increase the awareness about NIHL and how to prevent it. NC will contain education on NIHL and gaming components to promote healthy hearing behaviors (e.g. identify noise sources, avoid long exposure to loud sounds, use ear protection, do a hearing test, etc.). NC game story: teen wakes up in the mysterious Noisy City, full of loud noises and dangerous decibels. Player discovers that his/her destiny is to become a Rock Star to change the city, while preserving "hearing power." NC will be "designed to entertain" (content: 70% entertainment | 30% education) by applying fun activities, entertaining storytelling, cool avatars, growing challenges, reinforcing feedback, mystery, comic relief, aesthetic graphics, other game mechanics, and social game strategies. This is expected to increase user motivation, improve knowledge, promote healthy behaviors, and encourage teens to play/share the game. NC integrates an adventure game, social features, and learning modules. NC features a virtual city, where the game character wants to "become a Rock Star" and is exposed to loud sounds (e.g. room with loud music, concerts, sporting events, etc.). Healthy behaviors (e.g. wear ear plugs) will be rewarded with extra points. Game levels will be unlocked by watching NC videos about NIHL, and users will be motivated to invite friends in Facebook to participate (e.g. form a band, help in the game, send virtual gifts like musical instruments, etc.) Teens may have a deeper knowledge of healthy behaviors and be more engaged with games (than listening to a lecture for example), as games help to build character: players experience consequences of good/bad behaviors in the game, which are internalized by players ("they may think/feel as their avatars", e.g. "hearing power damaged due to loud noise"), and no longer limited to an abstract concept that happens to other people. Innovation: research on social game-based interventions is an unexplored field. NC is one of the first Facebook social games for NIHL prevention (if not the first).