[Development and evaluation of the use of an interactive CD-ROM for students at risk of disease related to occupational hazards: the case of asthma].

Within the framework of an informational programme on the risks of asthma associated with certain occupations (hairdresser, carpenter or baker), an interactive CD-ROM was developed for senior students of these professions. Among the schools who benefited from this information, the programme chose three to evaluate. A total of 113 students between the ages of 17 and 20 filled out a questionnaire and participated in a group discussion after the session. All of the students were able even though only 48% regularly use a computer. More than 95% of the participants were satisfied with the content, the academic approach proposed and the interactive support, which is flexible and contains a self-test. The students found the CD-ROM to be a more efficient means of retaining information than classic lectures. As for the evaluation of the knowledge acquired on asthma and the workplace, half of the students said they had considerably increased their knowledge on the illness, while 47% only saw a minor increase. This statement was confirmed through the correlation of scores obtained in the pre- and post-programme exams, whose results show a statistically significant increase in knowledge. Despite the academic value the students gave to this type of learning, the advantage of this kind of pedagogical tool are also to be considered given that is easy for teachers to learn how to use the technology and teach it. Nowadays it is so simple to produce multimedia support for computers, that this method can be easily developed for a target audience and at low cost.