News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, August 3, 2004 |
Contact: HHS Press Office
(202) 690-6343
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HHS to Provide New Interactive Book of Health Information to Women of Afghanistan and Their Families
Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will distribute pioneering interactive women's health books built with the LeapPad learning system technology throughout Afghanistan this year, aimed especially at helping Afghan women who cannot read or write.
Secretary Thompson has visited Afghanistan three times since September 11, 2001, to review and evaluate the health needs of the Afghan people and help target assistance to people throughout the country -- especially Afghan women, whose health care was virtually ignored under the Taliban. Based on his fact-finding trips, Secretary Thompson led the campaign to engage HHS as a financial and instructional supporter of the Rabia Balkhi Hospital and associated clinics serving women in Afghanistan, and eventually to a partnership with LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc., and the creation of this interactive tool.
Developed jointly by HHS and LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc., the 42-page interactive books deliver important basic health information through state-of-the-art audio and point and touch technology. Books are available in both of Afghanistan's two major languages Dari and Pashto. Illiteracy is a common problem in Afghanistan where only half of the men and one in five women can read and write. The book allows users to point to pictures, then the book speaks to the user incorporating a literacy tool with health information.
Information is conveyed in an accessible story-like format that allows the reader to interact with recorded conversations that are portrayed in the book through pictures, audio, and in text form -- for those who can read.
"This promising new technology is easy to use and an effective way to provide important health information to women, both for their own personal benefit and for their families," Secretary Thompson said. "It will be especially helpful in Afghanistan, where almost 80 percent of women cannot read or write, and where infant and child mortality, as well as maternal mortality are all shockingly high. We want to help Afghan women and families to improve the health in their country rapidly, and these 'talking books' will be an important tool in reaching that goal."
The book presents more than 350 items of recorded information concerning 19 personal health subjects. Basic health information covered includes diet, childhood immunization, pregnancy, breastfeeding, sanitation and water boiling, treating injuries and burns, and preventing disease. The books convey everyday household situations, as well as information specific to child and reproductive health. LeapFrog's patented LeapPad technology brings the health information to life through stories that convey the basic health lessons for the readers.
"We are excited to work with HHS to bring our LeapPad technology to a whole new audience," LeapFrog CEO Tom Kalinske said. "LeapPad technology has been delivering great learning products for the last nine years. We are glad to be able to bring this technology to such a great cause."
HHS will initially disseminate 2,000 books to Afghan households and primary health care centers through an initial distribution program used to evaluate both usability and behavior change measures. Results of this initial distribution will be used to determine the best dissemination method for the 20,000 books that the United States is giving to Afghanistan.
Infant mortality rates in Afghanistan are among the highest in the world, and an estimated one in four children dies before his or her fifth birthday. Maternal mortality rates in Afghanistan are also among the highest in the world, with 1,600 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births (as compared to the United States rate of 7.5 deaths per 100,000.). Ninety percent of deaths among women of childbearing age in Afghanistan are caused by preventable complications related to childbirth.
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Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.
Last Revised: August 3, 2004
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