Innovation Research And Training, Inc. — Department of Health and Human Services SBIR Phase I: ODCDC

Description

Healthy design features in a workplace can enable healthy eating and physical activitywhich are key behaviors in the prevention of obesity and other chronic diseasesAs of yetthere is no comprehensive webbased tool for designers and employers in different types of workplacesparticularly small business settingsto learn about and implement behavioral design strategies in the workplaceThe goal of this Phase I application is to design an innovative and interactive web based application that helps employersin collaboration with architects and designersidentify healthy design strategies that are feasible to adopt and provides resources to implement these design strategies in their workplacesThe proposed web based application will include an assessment toolcustomized reportand tailored implementation recommendations for designers and employers based on their current workplace featuresTo inform the development of the web based applicationdesignersarchitectsand employers will participate in individual interviews to gather information on their knowledgemotivationsand needsTo establish technical feasibilitydesignersarchitectsand employers will participate in usability studies to provide feedback on the web based applicationIf Phase I is successfulthe web based application has the potential to facilitate and support the design of work environments and positively impact health behaviors