merzWissenschaft | medien + erziehung
call for papers 2011
Topic: Media and Health Promotion
Responsible editorial team: Dr. Claudia Lampert
(Hans-Bredow-Institut) and the merzWissenschaft (JFF) editorial department
The importance of promoting good health amongst
children and adolescents is the focus of the
13th Children and Adolescents Report published
by the Federal Government of Germany. Health
promotion in this context is about upgrading
those resources and capacities that are
essential in order for children and adolescents
to lead a full and healthy life, and that
promote their social, psychological, and
physical well-being. They therefore also form an
important basis for a successful stay in
education. Health promotion is worded here as a
task for society as a whole. The question of
whether the media have an important role to play
in this context is a one which is discussed time
and again, and not without some controversy. On
the one hand there are those of the opinion that
the media can play a positive role in fostering
health promotion. On the other hand, there are
those who believe that certain media content, or
the use of media itself is detrimental to the
physical and mental well-being of children and
adolescents. The media are credited with a high
level of influence which is, however, as complex
as the media themselves, and their importance
within the lives of children and adolescents.
Furthermore, the term health as used in this
context is complex, as it refers to physical,
psychological, and social well-being, and not
just in the short-term. Correspondingly, the
discussion on the topics of Media and Health is
widely diversified. On the negative side, themes
range from advertising for unhealthy products
(stimulants, and addictive drugs), or the
glorification of unhealthy attitudes and
behaviors on internet forums (anorexia and
suicide sites etc.), to physical inactivity and
social deprivation caused by media overuse,
through to excessive, addiction-like forms of
media use. On the positive side, albeit less
well perceived by the public, the spectrum
ranges from large-scale health campaigns, motion
pictures and television series with a focus on
health and sickness, onlineconsultation
facilities, through to computer and video games
that help sick children in coping with their
illness or the treatment they are receiving.
merzWissenschaft seeks to backing up the
discussion with the provision of qualified,
international papers from different relevant
disciplines. The kind of papers sought include those which:
? refer to the use and processing of
health-related media content in different media
structures and media types, and which take the
perspective of children and adolescents into account.
? address health-related consequences of media
use and their conditions, such as for example
effects of media overuse, or the use of media
types that may foster health promotional behavior (e. g. exergames).
? investigate the possibilities of educational
media tools in terms of the use and effect of healthrelated media.
Criteria
The papers sought
? are based on empirical or theoretical research,
? offer new knowledge, aspects or approaches to the subject, and
? have not been published elsewhere.
In the first instance interested authors are
asked to submit an abstract of no more than
4.000 signs (spaces included) by February 21 st
2011. Please ensure that the papers follow the
merzWissenschaft layout guidelines in terms of
their form - these are available at
www.merz-zeitschrift.de (-> über merz -> für autoren).
Deadlines Overview
21st February 2011: Submission of abstracts to (merz /at/ jff.de)
14th March 2011: Decision on acceptation/rejection of the abstracts
27th June 2011: Submission of papers
27th June - 25th July 2011: Peer review
August/September 2011: Revision Period (several phases if needed)
Final submission: 26th September 2011
merzRedaktion, Pfälzer-Wald-Straße 64, D-81539 München, (merz /at/ jff.de)
For further information please contact Susanne Eggert, Tel. +49.89.68989.120
--------------------------------------------
Dr. Susanne Eggert
merz - Zeitschrift für Medien und Erziehung
Pfälzer-Wald-Str. 64
81539 München
fon: 089/68989-120
fax: 089/68989-111
<http://www.merz-zeitschrift.de/>www.merz-zeitschrift.de
