Kürzi, An Interactive Media Device and Curriculum Encouraging Healthy Decision Making in Youth

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Summary/Abstract Adults in the United States (U.S.) have the highest rates among industrial nations of chronic disease burden and obesity leading to deaths that could be prevented with healthier lifestyle choices. U.S. adults have a life expectancy of 78.6 years, 2.1 years lower than the average of all other industrial nations, while Non-Hispanic Black Americans have an even shorter life expectancy at 75.3 years. Provider bias against Black and Hispanic patients has been well documented in research contributing to minority patients being less likely to receive adequate treatment. Racial inequalities in healthcare have been proven to contribute to shorter lifespans for minorities in the U.S. Health education needs to be improved for the benefit of all Americans, and the healthcare system must be diversified to better serve all patients equally. To diversify the healthcare system, children should be introduced to possible career paths in adolescence when they are considering career roles. Studies have shown that students from 6th through 8th grade exposed to learning through the use of interactive digital media (IDM) games demonstrate significant gains in knowledge across different races/ethnicities, genders, and learning disabilities. We propose to develop a low-cost standalone device with basic vital sign sensors and interactive games to demonstrate the importance of making healthy decisions in relation to diet and physical activity via the use of an avatar that performs better based on input player vital signs. The avatar-based game, Kürzi, will include doctor visits for the Kürzi creature and events that feature different healthcare professions. The Kürzi device is paired with a tailored curriculum based on the National Health Education Standards for trained teachers to guide students through four different lessons. Eight different middle school classrooms will be evaluated using formative assessment to determine if the Kürzi IDM improves knowledge about healthy decision making and healthcare careers. Additionally, there will be four groups of two classrooms each in a 2 x 2 between-subjects design that will be used to isolate any effect of the Kürzi product from the new curriculum. At the end of the curriculum, teachers will be asked for feedback through open-ended questions related to the curriculum.