Public Engagement Knowledge Fosters Health!

At Helmholtz Munich we develop solutions for a healthier future. But research alone won’t be enough, and our knowledge must quickly reach the people who need it. This is why we aim for continuous public dialogue. With qualified information and exchange of information, we help people better understand the factors that make the difference between health and illness. The goal is to enable everybody to take responsibility for their health and deal with illness as best as possible.

“Your blood sugar is slightly high.” When the doctor says this, it by no means indicates a definite case of diabetes. Our health portal diabinfo provides people with an increased risk of diabetes with all the information they need to be proactive.

The National Health Action Plan emphasises the importance of the earliest possible opportunities to promote health knowledge. Schools play an important role here. Helmholtz Munich and the German Cancer Research Center have developed scientifically sound, innovative instructional materials for the programme “Fit in Health” that aim to raise students’ awareness of health issues. They learn early on how to take responsibility for their health and prevent disease later in life.

Some people have a hard time wading through all this information. A new type of healthcare inequality is the result, with negative ramifications for unhealthy behaviour, according to the authors of the study. Low health awareness is often accompanied by an unhealthy diet, lack of mobility, and obesity. Good health information forms the basis for awareness and responsibility for one’s own health.

This is what we stand for at Helmholtz Munich, the German Research Centre for Environmental Health.

_{*Hurrelmann, K. et al. (2020): Gesundheitskompetenz der Bevölkerung in Deutschland - Vergleich der Erhebungen 2014 und 2020}