(ARA) - Major celebrities lend their voices to an educational CD-ROM game for children with asthma. “Quest for the Code,” developed by the STARBRIGHT Foundation, combines a celebrity cast, 3D animation, and real-world scenarios to help teach children how to manage their asthma.

The game features Cuba Gooding, Jr. as a live-action character named Cyrus (TM) who provides children with information and positive reinforcement to help defeat a team of animated asthma triggers voiced by celebrities Glenn Close, Minnie Driver, Funkmaster Flex, Whoopi Goldberg, Jeff Goldblum, Kelsey Grammer, Shaquille O'Neal, Gwyneth Paltrow and General H. Norman Schwarzkopf. Diane Sawyer appears as a news anchorwoman.

“Quest for the Code” is available free of charge in both English and Spanish to children with asthma, ages 7 to 15, and their families, and can be ordered by visiting www.starbright.org or calling (800) 315-2580.

The game helps tackle the serious and widespread public health issue of asthma in children. An estimated 9.1 million children in the United States have been diagnosed with asthma in their lifetime -- it is the most common chronic illness among children. Asthma is the leading cause of school absenteeism due to chronic illness and accounts for 14 million missed school days annually, and it is the number-one cause of hospitalization among children under the age of 15.

"Asthma can be a frustrating, even frightening, disease for children and their families," said Dr. Gary Rachelefsky, a nationally renowned asthma expert and a medical advisor to the asthma CD-ROM game. “Quest for the Code’s” medical information reflects the most up-to-date and progressive approaches to treating pediatric asthma -- and it delivers these messages to kids through an engaging game format.”

Recent research revealed that both children and their parents markedly increased their knowledge of asthma, understanding of asthma triggers, and willingness to manage their disease after playing the game. Specifically, the research found that of the 146 children with asthma and their parents who played “Quest for the Code”:

* 87 percent of children said they will make changes in how they manage their asthma.

* 93 percent of children reported that they would be more likely to take their asthma medicine the way their doctor prescribed.

* 86 percent of parents found “Quest for the Code” extremely or very useful in the daily management of their child’s asthma.

Gwyneth Paltrow, who plays the character Perfuma in the game, stated, “I think Starbright’s “Quest for the Code” is a wonderful way to give children with asthma a chance to learn how to control it. When they play, they have the opportunity to learn without feeling like they’re being lectured or forced to learn something. Ask a kid, but I think playing still wins out over sitting through a lecture, hands down.”

“With ‘Quest for the Code,’ we entertain children as we educate them, and break down the walls of resistance and open them up to the power they can have over their illness and over their lives,” said General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, Starbright’s Capital Campaign Chairman, who plays the role of General Robo-Roach.

The production and distribution of “Quest for the Code” was funded by an independent educational grant from GlaxoSmithKline. The television shopping network HSN donated a web-ordering and delivery service for children with asthma, their families and health care professionals.

Courtesy of ARA Content





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Courtesy of ARA Content