Health comm, behavioral medicine, public health researchers; computer program developers, healthcare providers.

This book's purpose is to offer various perspectives relating to the development, effectiveness, and implementation of interactive computing technology for health promotion--programs and interventions aimed at improving various health-related outcomes such as involvement in care, quality of life, adherence, disease management, healthy lifestyle, and more. Its coverage includes: *conceptual foundations for examining how characteristics of media, messages, and users relate to one another and how interactive media can effectively and appropriately promote health outcomes; *examinations of the development, utilization, and evaluation of specific computer applications for health promotion featuring discussions of the theoretical rationale for the program, the targeted audience, research on the program's effectiveness, and implications for future program development; and *analyses of critical issues such as potential benefits and limitations of technology on the delivery of care, institutional obstacles to the adoption of computing technology, and prospects for integrating information technology into the health system.

"It will help readers identify audiences, contexts, and health issues for which programs and services using interactive media will lead to improved health outcomes, especially when compared with more traditional methods."
—Human Resources Abstracts