Clinical trial NCT05875467: Evaluation of Prototype for Simulation for Environmental Exposure Education (SE3)
Official title: Evaluation of Prototype Game for Simulation for Environmental Exposure Education
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: EARLY_PHASE1
Conditions: Effect of Game in Increasing Environmental Health Literacy
Keywords: environmental health
game
air quality
STEM
health literacy
Lead sponsor: dfusion Inc
Sponsor class: INDUSTRY
Collaborators: name: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
First posted: 2023-05-25
Enrollment: 50
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 11
Maximum age (years): 15
Standard ages: CHILD
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: NA
Intervention model: SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose: BASIC_SCIENCE

Brief summary: The goal of this clinical trial is to test a prototype of a new educational game about environmental health literacy with middle school age youth. The main questions it aims to answer are:

* Does playing the game increase knowledge about environmental health?
* Does playing the game improve environmental health literacy?
* Does playing the game increase interest and confidence in science?

Participants will be asked to:

* Take a survey at the beginning of the study
* Play the game for a minimum of 50 minutes
* Take a survey at the end of the study

Detailed description: The proposed project will establish the technical merit and feasibility of producing and using a serious game to improve environmental health literacy among young people. A small evaluation is being conducted to assess the impact of the prototype game on environmental health knowledge, literacy, ability to understand mitigation, and impact on science interest and confidence.

Participants will be middle school youth, typically ages 11-15, who are currently enrolled in middle school. Participants are being recruited by the projects education advisor (CA) and youth community board members (MI).

Investigators will conduct an evaluation with 45 middle school age participants from communities disproportionately impacted by environmental risk. The goal is to test the usability and playability of the prototype and assess the games impact on outcomes. The participant will complete a short online pre-test assessment (environmental health knowledge), participate in either a 50 play session or a week long play period logging a minimum of 50 minutes. At the end of the play period the participant will complete a short post-test with similar questions to the pre-test plus additional questions about their usage, satisfaction with, and enjoyment of the game. During independent game use, the app will collect metrics on usage, player performance, and conditional knowledge including the ability to apply concepts in context. Participants will each receive a $100 gift card.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* In middle school.
* Ability to use a mobile tablet.
* Have access to wifi in location of intervention implementation.
* Reside in the geographic areas of implementation: California, Michigan, Florida

Exclusion Criteria:

* Age not within middle school range.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Change in Environmental Health Indoor Air Pollution Knowledge Score
timeFrame: Day 1 to Day 7
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Change in Environmental Health Mitigation Knowledge Score
timeFrame: Day 1 to Day 7
measure: Change in Environmental Health Interest Score
timeFrame: Day 1 to Day 7
measure: Change in Science Interest and Confidence Score
timeFrame: Day 1 to Day 7
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: San Jose
country: United States
facility: Monroe Middle School
state: California
city: Scotts Valley
country: United States
facility: Virtual Study
state: California
Study officials:
affiliation: dfusion Inc
name: Tamara Kuhn, MA
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: