Tobacco use is responsible for over 400,000 premature deaths annually in the United States, making it the most important cause of preventable death. Nearly one quarter of U.S. adults smoke every day or on some days. Even more concerning, teen smoking prevalence rose in the past decade.

In Colorado, plans are in place for the development of a new tool for educating the public about smoking.

To date, traditional modes of community-based tobacco education have not capitalized on the growth of web-based and interactive computer technology. At the same time, mounting data suggest that people are comfortable with using computer technology in public settings to answer surveys and to learn about health behaviors and health promotion programs.

The Colorado Prevention Center (CPC) is developing an interactive computer module designed to help smokers quit smoking, to increase smokers’ willingness to quit, and to refer smokers to existing programs, including Colorado’s new Quit Line. The computer modules are being designed both for the web and for free standing computer kiosks that are tailored to the age, language (English or Spanish) and readiness to quit of the user.

CPC and Denver health have had experience in the design of interactive computer surveys and educational tools. Their experience supports the hypotheses that subjects easily adapt to interaction by computer and that they provide honest and accurate information.

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