Nolan the Colon and Public Health Initiatives

Upon reading some recently released CDC essays, I came across a very inspiring one that my inner artist could relate to. The article is entitled, "Giant Inflatable Colon and Community Knowledge, Intention, and Social Support for Colorectal Cancer Screening."

Over the last 3 years of incorporating Public Health components into my art practice I was really interested in this idea of a 3-dimensional forms being used as an educational tool. Even more encouraging was the conclusion of the essay, which determined that: "Interactive exhibits can improve public knowledge and interest in CRC (Colorectal Cancer) screening, which may lead to increased CRC screening rates and decreased CRC incidence and deaths."

This conclusion is implying that interactive installations can be preventive health tools. We can educate our community to live healthier lives by engaging their senses, and making learning fun. It was reported that, "Community member interaction with the colon model led to significant increases in all 3 domains: knowledge, screening intention, and social support."

Interested to know more about the methodology? You can find this article at: http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2013/12_0192.htm