"See you at the School of Medicine," said assistant professor Shelly Pranić to the students of the Elementary School "Manuš" at the end of the workshop # MaliUciteljiMedija.

The assistant professor and volunteers from the School of Medicine in Split, together with children from 11 to 14 years of age, have learned how to interpret the information they receive from the media. Children participated in designing media messages and in creating posters, models and drawings that contained messages with basic concepts of epidemiology, which is the monitoring and controlling of health-related factors.

When reporting on the potential adverse effects of environmental factors, foods or drugs, the media regularly use sensationalist titles that in reality do not correspond to scientific facts. The information that we can see on television, read in the newspapers or on the Internet, is often incomplete and the public cannot assess the potential risks of illnesses from the consumption of certain foods or medicines. A basic understanding of epidemiology can help in the way media report on potential dangers to human health, especially when focusing on the three fundamental concepts. These three concepts include the number of factors an individual is exposed to, the time period of exposure and the way of exposure. 

As children will eventually become aware of health care providers, it is important that the media respond responsibly when submitting health information.