Online Tailored Interventions & Relational Agents for Exercise and Sun Protection

描述（由申请人提供）：本研究项目的总体目标是修改和增强基于多媒体计算机的多种危险因素干预，以预防癌症，利用互联网达到一般人群。将开发两种创新的、个性化的、易于传播的、低成本的、互动的干预措施，这两种干预措施都针对多种行为（防晒和锻炼），并与对照条件进行比较。第一种干预包括使我们有效的多媒体专家系统干预适应互联网环境。第二种干预建立在第一种干预的基础上，增加了关系代理，这是一种最近开发的基于计算机的方法，用于建立通常在互联网网站上缺失的个人关系。这两个系统将采用相同的行为改变理论模型，即跨理论模型，作为深度知识，所有系统都将采用基于经验的决策规则。设计为3组（控制、互联网、互联网+关系代理）× 3次（0、12、24个月），干预发生在前12个月。将招募有这两种行为风险的1639名具有代表性的全国样本。主要目标是：(1)在国家样本上开发和评估量身定制的互联网干预措施的有效性；(2)开发并评估关系代理强化网络干预的有效性；(3)确定关系代理的干预是否优于常规的定制互联网干预。次要目标是：(1)确定两种干预措施是否对每种行为和不同的子群体有不同的效果；(2)确定关系代理干预措施是否更多地用于增加锻炼而不是防晒。这项研究针对癌症的两个主要危险因素；旨在以人群为基础，采用主动招聘策略来处理这些行为；同时干预多种行为，对预防癌症产生更大的影响；利用最有希望的方法之一，以低成本的基于人群的干预措施，促进与健康有关的行为改变，即互联网；并开发和测试了一种有希望的新方法，以提高基于互联网的干预措施，关系代理的利用率和有效性。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The overarching goal of this research project is to revise and enhance a multimedia computer-based multiple risk factor intervention for cancer prevention, using the internet to reach a general population. Two innovative, individualized, easily disseminated, low-cost, and interactive interventions, both for multiple behaviors (sun protection and exercise adoption), will be developed and evaluated in comparison to a control condition. The first intervention involves adapting our effective multimedia expert system interventions to the internet environment. The second intervention builds on the first with the additional inclusion of a Relational Agent, a recently developed computer-based approach to establishing a personal relationship typically missing on internet sites. Both systems will employ the same theoretical model of behavior change, the Transtheoretical Model, as the deep knowledge, and all systems will employ empirically based decision rules. The design is a 3 Group (Control, Internet, Internet plus Relational Agent) x 3 Occasions (0, 12, 24 Months) with intervention occurring during the first 12 months. A representative national sample of 1639 individuals at risk for both behaviors will be recruited. The primary aims are: (1) To develop and assess the effectiveness of a tailored internet intervention on a national sample; (2) To develop and assess the effectiveness of the internet intervention enhanced by a relational agent; and (3) To determine if the intervention with the relational agent can outperform the regular tailored internet intervention. The secondary aims are: (1) To determine if the two interventions are differentially effective with each behavior and with different subgroups, and (2) To determine if the relational agent intervention is utilized more often for increasing exercise than for sun protection. This study targets two major risk factors for cancer; is designed to treat the behaviors on a population basis, using proactive recruitment strategies; intervenes on multiple behaviors simultaneously, thereby producing greater impacts for cancer prevention; utilizes one of the most promising approaches to low cost population based interventions for health-related behavior change, namely the internet; and develops and tests a promising new approach to increasing the utilization and effectiveness of internet-based interventions, relational agents.