Prof. Dr. Orkan Okan, Head of the Assistant Professorship of Health Literacy, gave a keynote speech on "Health literacy in schools: a key public health issue" at the 127th German Medical Congress in Essen. The Department of Sport and Health Sciences health scientist shared the slot with Education Minister Dorothee Feller (NRW) and German Medical Association President Klaus Reinhardt. Prof. Okan gave several interviews during the event, including with ARD-Tagesschau24, WDR, and Deutsches Ärzteblatt.
A total of 17 motions for resolutions were adopted at the event, which addressed the topic of health literacy in schools. In particular, the main motions of the German Medical Association concern many studies and focal points of the health sciences. Health literacy is the ability to deal with information on health topics. "It is primarily about the areas of action of searching for, finding, and understanding information to be then able to assess and apply it," explains Prof. Okan.
Why early health literacy is essential in childhood and adolescence is shown in the recently presented study of the prevention program "Durchblickt". More than 50 percent of children and adolescents in Germany aged nine to 18 still struggle with (digital) information: "In a European comparison with ten other countries, Germany does not do well. For us, these are indicators that we have to address these problem areas in a targeted way through educational measures at school," Okan explains in a TV interview with Tagesschau24.
This also includes understanding information correctly and classifying the trustworthiness of sources. "It helps to use different sources to search for information and to exchange information with other people, such as parents," says Okan. However, the dangers of fake news or advertising messages also lurk on internet platforms. "We have been experiencing a form of completely new communication technologies for a few years now. In the beginning, it was just the internet, then social media and forums came along, and now numerous apps provide access to digital health information - but a lot of false information also contrasts this," Prof. Okan said in the WDR 5 podcast "Politikum".
In his keynote speech, he emphasized the need to invest more in education and that both education and health policy should focus more on preventive measures. In the Deutsces Ärzteblatt, the professor of health literacy pointed out that there is a need for greater cooperation between the health and education ministries - the expertise of the medical profession must be more strongly integrated there.
To the homepage of the Assistant Professorship of Health Literacy
To the Tagesschau24-interview
To the WDR podcast "Politikum"
To the Deutsches Ärzteblatt article
Further articles in the overview "Department in the press"
Contact:
Prof. Dr. Orkan Okan
Assistant Professorship of Health Literacy
Georg-Brauchle-Ring 60/62
80992 München
phone: 089 289 24977
e-mail: orkan.okan(at)tum.de / info.healthliteracy(at)tum.de
Text: Bastian Daneyko
Photos: Tagesschau24/private