title: A conversational microcomputer-based health risk appraisal.
abstract: We have developed a conversational microcomputer-based health risk appraisal program. This appraisal has been tested on over 200 users at 3 locations in urban and suburban Minneapolis. It was considered helpful by 92% of its users, and 25% stated that they would probably or definitely change a living habit based on its use. All 3 populations considered it comparably helpful, irrespective of their different age and sex distributions. A complex health appraisal, which was formerly assumed to require batch processing on a large computer, can be carried out on a small personal system in an interactive mode. Such a program is acceptable to users and has the potential to motivate change in risky behavior.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D003201:Computers; D005260:Female; D006184:Habits; D006266:Health Education; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008838:Microcomputers; D012306:Risk