Simões CAROLINA, University of Coimbra, Department of Informatics Engineering (DEI), Portugal
Cardoso JOÃO , University of Coimbra, Institute for Interdisciplinary Research (IIIUC), Doctoral Program in History of Sciences and Scientific History, Portugal
Correia MARTA , CNC - Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology (CNC), Portugal
Coelho NUNO , University of Coimbra, Centre of Interdisciplinary Studies (CEIS20), Portugal
Varela Amaral SARA , University of Coimbra, Institute for Interdisciplinary Research (IIIUC), Portugal
Fostering health literacy helps society to take advantage of the benefits of science, allowing citizens to perform more conscious and informed decisions. Getting researchers closer to social stakeholders such as politicians, patients, students and formal and informal care givers allow scientists to directly answer questions raised by society.
The project Health in Knowledge, promoted by the Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology of the University of Coimbra (CNC) and sponsored by Ciência Viva, aims to foster scientific culture in Portugal by developing a national campaign for health literacy. For this goal, the project proposes to bring different health related topics into the social debate by involving different researchers and other social actors in science workshops (meetings where researchers and citizens discuss and share knowledge and experiences), and in the cocreating and production process of science communication materials. By promoting public discussion of a wide range of health-related topics, the project intends to engage society with 11 scientific topics in Neuroscience, Metabolism and Biotechnology.
To achieve the goal of promoting health literacy in Portugal, one of the project deliverables include the production of a series of 11 short films produced on the above mentioned topics, co-created between biomedical researchers and specialists both in science communication and in audiovisual production. This innovative approach is concurrent with recent studies that demonstrate how multimedia approaches, especially animation, has been able to more easily convey scientific information. Additionally, by bringing researchers, communicators, and designers into the same discussion rounds, the project was able create a scientific animated product which information is accurate and trustworthy, while being intelligible and easily transmissible.
For the dissemination of the outcomes, a strategy was designed in which each of the produced animations will be published regularly and periodically over a period of a year, that started in January 2021, ending in December of the same year, through social media channels, among other platforms, such as interactive outdoor panels. In the future, the impact of the project will be both quantitatively and qualitatively evaluated.
The present work will describe the scope of the project Health in Knowledge, drawing conclusions on its development process and of its communication strategies designed to achieve its goal: the promotion of knowledge in health and of good habits in life by as many members of Portuguese society as possible.
Document 1 : Document 1
Document 2 : Document 2
Document 2 : Document 3