Publications by authors named "Raffael Heiss"

Background: In recent years, social media have emerged as important spaces for commercial marketing of health tests, which can be used for the screening and diagnosis of otherwise generally healthy people. However, little is known about how health tests are promoted on social media, whether the information provided is accurate and balanced, and if there is transparency around conflicts of interest.

Objective: This study aims to understand and quantify how social media is being used to discuss or promote health tests with the potential for overdiagnosis or overuse to generally healthy people.

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Social media influencers (SMIs) have become an important source of health information for adolescents. However, the lack of expertise and commercial interests of SMIs pose challenges for adolescent health. To gain a better understanding of these challenges, this scoping review aimed to synthesize existing research on the role of SMIs in adolescent health.

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Background: Adolescents face high-choice school food environments that offer plenty of highly processed foods. Processed food producers target young people in their marketing, but there is limited data on the actual food supply inside and in the vicinity of Austrian schools and its impact on adolescent food choices. This study employs an innovative mixed-methods approach to explore adolescents' food choices.

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Article Synopsis
  • Human papillomavirus (HPV) is linked to various cancers and genital warts, but vaccination rates in Tyrol, Austria, remain low despite free access for children.
  • A survey of 334 parents revealed an 81.9% acceptance rate for HPV vaccination, but common reasons for hesitancy included fear of side effects, lack of information, and the belief that children are too young for the vaccine.
  • The study found that increased knowledge about HPV correlated with vaccine acceptance, especially for girls, and highlighted the need for better educational initiatives to reduce misinformation and improve attitudes toward vaccination for both genders.
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In the context of exceeding levels of sugar consumption, some food companies advertise high-sugar products using inappropriate and misleading health claims (i.e. healthwashing).

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According to appraisal theory, individuals cope with perceived threats in different ways. If engaging in problem-focused coping, for example, they may seek information useful for eliminating the root cause of the threat. However, during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, people tend to navigate complex information environments marked by high levels of uncertainty.

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