Health service organization CIGNA HealthCare has announced the development of a 3D virtual health care community in the form of a Second Life island. The project hopes to provide visitors with seminars, interactive displays, educational games, and virtual health consultations to help foster help foster real and sustainable behavior change that improves health.

Developed by brand experience agency Method, the community welcomes arriving users with an avatar, which greets and leads them to the virtual seminars. The interactive presentation will allow users to participate in a variety of activities, such as learning about nutrition in the "nutrition zone" and voting on the fat content of particular food items.

Interactive games will also be available, such as "The Fridge," in which users click on food items to display their nutritional labels, and "Whack-a-Food," where players compete to test their knowledge of healthy foods.

Said Keith Dixon, Ph.D., president of CIGNA's health solutions unit: “As a health service company, we are always looking for new and creative ways to reach people with important messages about living a healthy and productive life. With a social interactivity that extends beyond geographic boundaries, and an exciting and appealing visual experience, CIGNA's virtual community enables us to reach an entirely new group of people that might not respond to health education messages delivered through more traditional channels.”

Analyst firm Gartner's vice president Carol Rozell added: “Companies are seeing measurable returns from using virtual worlds to create a more engaging communications experience with their employees and customers. The key to launching and maintaining a successful virtual world is to clearly identify a targeted audience, determine their needs, understand how they learn, and design a user experience that encourages interactivity.”