Public Health Literacy and Community Media: Country Presentations 4 – Austria

Presentations on the research and production phase from Austria held at the E3J-Conference “Public Health Literacy and Community Media in Europe” organised by COMMIT and CMFE in Vienna, January 19, 2024 at Presseclub Concordia 

Simon Olipitz from COMMIT, national researcher for Austria, gave an insight into the most important findings from his background research conducted as part of the E3J project. The study showed the importance of a psychosocial perspective on public health post-Covid and in light of challenges connected to inflation, the climate crisis and the nursing care emergency in Austria. Many Austrians find it difficult to assess how trustworthy health information is. Community media can contribute here through the involvement of experts and constructive journalism. They can function as a “living room” for dialogue and also enable interventions in public spaces.

Radio FREIRAD from Innsbruck focused on women’s health and how to get out of male-centred debates, stressing the neglect of the health system to focus on women’s real health issues. Their production process was realised by engaging half experienced team members and half newcomers supported by a buddy-system.

More infos on the conference and the E3J-project can be found here: https://www.commit.at/veranstaltungen/details/public-health-literacy-and-community-media-in-europe