Social Game to Improve Hearing Health Care Outcomes

噪声性听力损失（NIHL）是第二种最常见的听力缺陷形式，影响约2600万美国成年人。此外，在美国，约有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。我们建议开发一个社交游戏，通过开发和翻译解决RFA-DC-12-004中列出的以下现有障碍的技术，教育青少年有关NIHL的知识，并促进健康的听力行为，从而改善听力保健：“知识障碍-健康素养和语言障碍可能会抑制医疗保健的提供，包括患者对其医疗保健需求的了解。“通过社交游戏（例如Facebook）传播医疗保健计划的潜力尚未开发，大多数青少年都花时间上网，有可能教育和促进健康行为。我们的社交游戏“Noisy City”（NC）将利用社交网络的力量，作为一个提高NIHL意识和如何预防NIHL的项目。NC将包含NIHL教育和游戏组件，以促进健康的听力行为（例如识别噪音源，避免长时间暴露在响亮的声音中，使用耳朵保护，做听力测试等）。NC游戏故事：青少年在神秘的嘈杂的城市醒来，充满了巨大的噪音和危险的分贝。玩家发现他/她的命运是成为一个摇滚星星来改变城市，同时保持“听力”。NC将“设计为娱乐”（内容：70%娱乐|30%的教育）通过应用有趣的活动，有趣的故事，酷的化身，不断增长的挑战，加强反馈，神秘，漫画救济，美学图形，其他游戏机制和社交游戏策略。预计这将增加用户的动机，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的特色是一个虚拟城市，游戏角色想要“成为摇滚星星”，并暴露在响亮的声音中（例如，有嘈杂音乐的房间，音乐会，体育赛事等）。健康的行为（例如戴耳塞）将获得额外积分。游戏关卡将通过观看有关NIHL的NC视频来解锁，用户将有动力邀请Facebook中的朋友参与（例如组建乐队，在游戏中提供帮助，发送乐器等虚拟礼物等）。青少年可能对健康行为有更深入的了解，并且更热衷于游戏（例如，听讲座），因为游戏有助于塑造性格：玩家在游戏中体验好/坏行为的后果，这些后果被玩家内化（“他们可能会像他们的化身一样思考/感觉”，例如“听力因噪音而受损”），而不再局限于发生在别人身上的抽象概念。创新：基于社交游戏的干预研究是一个尚未探索的领域。NC是第一个用于NIHL预防的Facebook社交游戏之一（如果不是第一个）。

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).