Call for papers for Ecrea’s European Conference on Health Communication

The call for papers for Ecrea’s European Conference on Health Communication is open until February 28. The event, which will be held on September 25 and 26 in Braga, will have the theme ‘Literacies and Empowerment in Health Communication’ and is organised by the Communication and Society Research Centre.

Health communication and (health) literacy are key determinants of health (WHO, 2013), and are of great importance in public and community health settings (Araújo et al., 2023; Biasio et al., 2021; Finset et al., 2020). Both health communication and literacy play a fundamental role in decision-making processes, ultimately leading to patient empowerment and better health (and wellbeing), while contributing to capacity-building amongst certain groups, such as health professionals (Coleman, 2011; Coleman et al., 2017; Melo et al., 2016). The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of communication and literacy as determinants of health while also driving significant changes in the media ecosystem. The abundance of information and the proliferation of both mis- and disinformation have been characterized by the World Health Organization as an “infodemic”, and may have contributed to pandemic fatigue, reinforcing the phenomena of information avoidance and a loss of trust in information sources, including official ones (Chen et al., 2016; Nguyen, 2021; Schulz & Nakamoto, 2022). Simultaneously, the world is facing an increase in non-communicable diseases, such as those related to lifestyle (e.g. obesity, diabetes, certain types of cancer). All of this is happening in increasingly diverse societies, which can itself be a barrier to literacy and empowerment (Gibney et al., 2020; Viswanath & Ackerson, 2011).

This conference welcomes theoretical, empirical – qualitative, quantitative or mixed-methods, – methodological or reflective submissions. We also welcome submissions about work in progress. Proposals can be submitted as individual oral and poster presentations or panel proposals.

The submission form is now available here.

IMPORTANT DATES:

Submission system opens: November 5, 2024
Submission deadline: February 28, 2025
Notification of acceptance: May 1, 2025
Registration opens: May 1, 2025
Registration deadline: August 8, 2025
Conference: September 25-26, 2025

More information about the conference here.

[Posted: 06-11-2024]