Project News
Here, we provide information about our recent publications, presentations, media articles, and other project activities
November 2024
Presentations at EPH Conference in Lisbon
Our research team held three presentations at the 17th European Public Health Conference in Lisbon, Portugal. We were delighted to share our study results with an international audience.
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18th October 2024
ÖGPH - Conference in Innsbruck
We presented two studies from our project at the conference of the Austrian Association for Public Health (ÖGPH), where our PhD student Elena Engel received 3rd place in the Young Researchers Award.
Additionally, we participated in the Public Health Pop-Up Village to inform about health influencers on social media. We invited school classes to join our interactive session to take a closer look at influencer posts on social media, discussing whether health influencers are a blessing or a curse for our health. We further aimed to raise awareness of "red flags" in influencer posts, such as lack of evidence or misinformation.
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16th October 2024
Science Communication Project with "FÄKT"
Our team was accepted to participate in an innovative format on science communication for younger generations, supported by the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW). The aim of the project FÄKT is to spark and promote interest in research and provide young people with accessible and high quality information on different science topics. We are delighted to have the opportunity to distribute our project and educate and inspire youth on health information and influencers on social media. The project video will be published in February 2025. Fore more information see: https://www.faekt.science/
25th September 2024
Media Reports: "30 Prozent der jungen Menschen folgen Gesundheitsinfluencern", "Show me the money, Gastein says", "Should the EU regulate burgeoning health influencers?"
Kathrin Karsay presented the findings of our online survey with 1003 Austrian adolescents aged 15 to 25 in several media formats and interviews. She discussed, among other things, the role of influencers as a new source of health information and addressed the need for stricter regulations for influencers promoting health products to ensure the credibility and accuracy of information.
31st May 2024
Workshop in Innsbruck
At the end of May, the HISM team hosted a research workshop in Innsbruck, inviting Prof. Kathrin Karsay (University of Vienna) and Prof. Christian von Sikorski (University of Koblenz-Landau). The aim was to network and develop joint research projects on social media influencers and health. As a special guest, Prof. Yevgen Bogodistov (MCI) shared insights on the method of Discrete Choice Experiments. The event was a great success, and we look forward to further collaborations.
24th May 2024
Lange Nacht der Forschung
The project team presented the HISM project at the "Lange Nacht der Forschung". This event is held in Austria for young people to provide information about our project and allow practical insights into research and science. Further information can be found on the Website https://langenachtderforschung.at/.
12th March 2024
Presentation at Open Food Conference
Gell, S. (2024). Mapping Food Environments. Invited Talk. Open Food Conference 2023, March 11-13, Leuven, Belgium. More information on the Conference Website.
16th November 2023
Presentation at European Conference on Health Communication
Engel, E., Karsay, K., & Heiss, R. (2023) Dietary Supplement Promotion on Social Media: A Content Analysis on Influencer Posts Targeted at Austrian Adolescents. European Conference on Health Communication (ECHC) 2023, Nov 15-17, Klagenfurt, Austria.
12th November 2023
Presentation at European Public Health Conference
Gell, S. (2023) Challenges and Benefits of Social Media Influencers for Adolescent Health – A Scoping Review. European Public Health Conference (EPH). Nov 15-17, Dublin, Ireland.
24th October 2023
Publication on School Food Environments
Gell, S., Pejkovic, E., & Heiss, R. (2023). How School Food Environments Influence Food Choices: Evidence from Citizen Science and Focus Groups. European Journal of Public Health, 33. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckad160.938
19th October 2023
Young Science Congress in Vienna
As part of the Citizen Science Award 2023, we hosted a workshop tailored to Austrian students aged 16-18. This engaging workshop not only unveiled the findings of our citizen science study but also encouraged students to share their perspectives on social media health influencers. Moreover, we provided insights into our research practices, aiming to spark the curiosity and interest of young students. We're grateful for the support and opportunity extended to us by OeAD and BMBWF. For additional information, please click here.
14th August 2023
Presentation at Conference on Preventing Overdiagnosis
Heiss, R. (2023) Health Influencers on Social Media: A Challenge for Overdiagnosis? Invited Keynote Talk. Preventing Overdiagnosis 2023, Aug 14-16, Copenhagen, Denmark.
26th July 2023
Publication on Sexual Health Promotion on Social Media
Engel, E. (2023). Young peoples’ perceived benefits and barriers of sexual health promotion on social media—A literature review. International Journal of Health Promotion and Education, 0(0), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/14635240.2023.2241035
28th June 2023
Publication on Food Environments
Gell, S., Pejkovic, E., & Heiss, R. (2023). How (Un-)Healthy are Austrian school food environments? Evidence from focus groups and citizen science. Appetite, 188, 106636. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2023.106636
29th May 2023
Presentation at 73rd Conference of the International Communication Association
Engel, E., Gell, S., Heiss, R., & Karsay, K. (2023). Social Media Influencers and Adolescents' Health: A Scoping Review. Presentation to the Health Communication Division at the 73rd annual conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), May 25-29, Toronto, Canada.
2nd February 2023
Presentation at 25th Etmaal Conference
Gell, S., Engel, E., Heiss, R., Karsay, K. (2023). Social Media Influencers and Adolescents' Health: A Scoping Review. Presentation at the Etmaal 2023, 25th Edition, February 25-26, Twente, Netherlands.
30th November 2022
Citizen Science Award
Our project was accepted for the Citizen Science Award 2023 by the Agency for Education and Internationalisation (OeAD).
Conference Workshop at the University of Bielefeld
Elena Engel and Sascha Gell presented and discussed their PhD projects at the annual Conference of the "DGPuK-Fachgruppe Gesundheitskommunikation" at the University of Bielefeld.
Panel - Discussion at Georgetown University
Sponsored by the Global Health Institute at Georgetown University, this panel provided a platform for a discussion about how influencers may both threaten and promote public health. Featured panellists: Deborah Brooks, Denise Lisi DeRosa, Raffael Heiss, Tarena Lofton, and Leticia Bode (moderator).
19th October 2022
Workshop at Georgetown University
Our research team participated in a workshop on misinformation with other scholars from Georgetown University. The workshop goal was an informed discussion about how to respond to and fight misinformation on different levels. We are currently working on a follow-up publication.
Updated in December 2024
