Università degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia

BigDataForHealth and BD4H@School: Students from Modena High Schools discuss Health and Digital

BD4H@School is a science outreach initiative aimed at engaging young people in understanding and applying the potential of Big Data in health, promoting the exponential growth of soft and technical skills in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

In the context of BigDataForHealth, a Scientific Dissemination project conceived by Professor Luca Pani - Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Science -, supported by Edizioni Edra, the Accademia del Paziente Esperto Eupati and coordinated by Professor Johanna Blom, the BD4H@School activity resumed. The initiative was created with the intention of involving high school students and sharing with them topics on the ongoing health revolution, making them participants in what is happening in the world of Health, Well-being and Digital.

The main objective of the initiative is to sound out the sentiment and approach that these young people (who are about to embark on a new study or professional path) have on issues that concern them closely, especially as key players in both the health revolution and the digital revolution - for which it is not uncommon to note how limited their knowledge of the purposes and opportunities that these means represent -. For the research team, it is important to assess how aware the students are of the value and potential of the digital tools and systems they use on a daily basis, and then to develop the discussion on Big Data and Health.

Initiated and implemented by Prof. Johanna Blom, associate professor of Psychobiology and Physiological Psychobiology at the Unimore Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Science, BD4H@School counts on the participation - from the second semester of 2022/23 - of some fifth classes of the ITIS Enrico Fermi of Modena (Electronics course, Automation and Computer Science and Telecommunications, Telecommunications path). The project - approved by Headmaster Stefania Giovannetti and coordinated by Professors Stefano Anceschi and Lorena Marassi - is in continuity with the edition held last school year, as ‘the topics covered are particularly important for our Institute, for the "exponential" growth of soft skills along with the students' technical skills, in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which have long been an integral part of our teaching activities’.

‘In the field of education,’ says Prof. Blom, ‘Big Data has already been used for some time and can play a role in supporting student engagement and development. Advances in the use of digital technologies and data analysis have created unparalleled perspectives for assessing and changing health behaviour. Teenagers and young adults show high affinity with the digital world around them, they are comfortable with technologies. Raising their awareness and familiarising them with the world of Big Data related to health is important, especially at this stage of substantial change, also for their future health. Here in Modena, we have embarked on this path, thanks to the availability of the Fermi Institute, which also offers pathways related to the topics discussed. The project we are implementing I believe represents a stimulating and beautiful opportunity for training and growth for the students involved, but also for us adults, thanks to the comparison that emerges. By the way, the interest, attention to the topics discussed and lively curiosity shown already in the first meetings are confirming this.’

In this new edition, BD4H@school involves more than 80 students who were submitted (in a first phase) a questionnaire on the topics of digital, the world of video games and how they search online for information on Health/Healthcare/Wellness. The discussion will continue with the aim of getting to the heart of their experiences with the world of the web, social networking, devices and tools in daily use among them. Finally, the project includes the development by the students, divided into groups, of project work, in order to get them to work actively on the topics addressed and to encourage them to create critical thinking and to deepen aspects of these areas that are more related to them and of greater interest to them.

Categorie: International - english