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Health-Based Animated Webisode for Health Promotion

Award Information
Agency: Department of Health and Human Services
Branch: National Institutes of Health
Contract: 1R44RR028137-01A1
Agency Tracking Number: R44RR028137
Amount: $269,319.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: NCRR
Solicitation Number: PA10-050
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 2011
Award Year: 2011
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): N/A
Award End Date (Contract End Date): N/A
Small Business Information
227 SANDY SPRINGS PLACE SUITE 103D-190
ATLANTA, GA 30328-
United States
DUNS: 877988022
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: Yes
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: Yes
Principal Investigator
 MARY HARRIS
 (404) 252-9872
 marysh@earthlink.net
Business Contact
 MARY HARRIS
Phone: (404) 252-9872
Email: marysh@earthlink.net
Research Institution
 Stub
Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): BioTechnical Communications, Inc. (BTC) will develop and produce an animated serial drama Webisode based on the Entertainment-Education model of health education. The series will be marketed to healthcare websites and general interest African American-targeted websites. Using innovative new media approaches to reach a large African American demographic, the goal of this project is to improve health information seeking, along with increasing overall health awareness and knowledge in this targeted population. By combining media that is simultaneously entertaining, educational and culturally tailored to African Americans, we offer an innovative health education tool to reach a high health disparities population. The Webisodeproject is the next logical step based on our successful serial soap opera radio product, Keeping Up with the Walkers (KUWW), which educates people about health and disease that disproportionately affects African Americans. KUWW was recently licensed to SupeRadio for distribution in 50 black radio stations nationwide demonstrating BTC's track record bringing health communication products to market. In this Fast-Track application, Phase I will take 6 months to develop a ten-minute animated prototype based on a single health topic, obesity, and assess feasibility and appeal of this approach with an African American audience using focus group qualitative research. In Phase II, we will produce a 120-minute animated series covering six health topics that have high levels of disproportionate impact on the Black community. This newly animated Walkers series, which will be webcast on the Internet, will reach a more diverse audience including the younger at risk African American demographic, who have quickly adoptedInternet-based communication. Using a web panel of African Americans we will conduct an outcome study of the efficacy of the Webisodes on participants' health seeking behavior, health knowledge, and perceived risk. The impact of the KUWW Webisodes on realworld Internet users' health information seeking behavior will be tested to determine if our product can be used to drive viewers to seek more health information on the web. Our long-term goal for commercialization is to position the KUWW Webisode series at African American oriented websites to encourage viewers to seek more extensive health information and to adopt the positive health behaviors modeled by the KUWW characters. Currently, BTC hosts the website Journey To Wellness (www.journeytowellness.com);the additional reach of our partner organizations which have high impact websites, will serve to expand our potential audience and create future commercial partners for BTC's appealing and culturally tailored health communications products. PUBLICHEALTH RELEVANCE: The mission of BTC is to have a measurable impact on the health of the African American community using a culturally relevant and easily accessible health education message to improve public health literacy and decrease health disparities. An effective and culturally appealing animated Webisodes series aimed at an African American niche of Internet users will teach viewers about health risk reduction using the proven technique of entertainment-education.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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