Raffael Heiss
@raffaelheiss.bsky.social
Professor at MCI. Interested in Health Communication, Misinformation, Food Systems.
Former: Fulbright Visiting Professor at Georgetown University; PhD Candidate at University of Vienna.
Former: Fulbright Visiting Professor at Georgetown University; PhD Candidate at University of Vienna.
📣New study in #JournalofAdolescentHealth: Among 1,003 Austrian youth, 83% see #health content from #influencers and 53% buy health products they recommend (see graph).
Parasocial ties ↑ susceptibility to marketing; digital #healthliteracy protects.
🔗STUDY LINK (free): doi.org/10.1016/j.ja...
Parasocial ties ↑ susceptibility to marketing; digital #healthliteracy protects.
🔗STUDY LINK (free): doi.org/10.1016/j.ja...
November 3, 2025 at 8:16 AM
📣New study in #JournalofAdolescentHealth: Among 1,003 Austrian youth, 83% see #health content from #influencers and 53% buy health products they recommend (see graph).
Parasocial ties ↑ susceptibility to marketing; digital #healthliteracy protects.
🔗STUDY LINK (free): doi.org/10.1016/j.ja...
Parasocial ties ↑ susceptibility to marketing; digital #healthliteracy protects.
🔗STUDY LINK (free): doi.org/10.1016/j.ja...
🚨 Some #NPOs look like independent #healthinformation hubs - but operate as strategic arms of the #F&B industry.
They influence science, public messaging, and policy-makers.
We study 5 cases: ILSI Europe, EUFIC, BNF, FEN, and Austria’s FEH.
worldnutritionjournal.org/index.php/wn...
(c) G. Mondy
They influence science, public messaging, and policy-makers.
We study 5 cases: ILSI Europe, EUFIC, BNF, FEN, and Austria’s FEH.
worldnutritionjournal.org/index.php/wn...
(c) G. Mondy
October 3, 2025 at 9:35 PM
🚨 Some #NPOs look like independent #healthinformation hubs - but operate as strategic arms of the #F&B industry.
They influence science, public messaging, and policy-makers.
We study 5 cases: ILSI Europe, EUFIC, BNF, FEN, and Austria’s FEH.
worldnutritionjournal.org/index.php/wn...
(c) G. Mondy
They influence science, public messaging, and policy-makers.
We study 5 cases: ILSI Europe, EUFIC, BNF, FEN, and Austria’s FEH.
worldnutritionjournal.org/index.php/wn...
(c) G. Mondy
Reposted by Raffael Heiss
I got an email yesterday afternoon that my NSF SPRF Postdoctoral Fellowship was terminated. My grant focused on testing interventions to address online misinformation and I was 8 months into a two year appointment.
Friday Night Massacre of accurate information.
A devastating day for the USA as tens of millions of dollars of grants seeking to combat the spread of false information were terminated. We have a federal govenrment that does not consider the verifiable truth a priority. www.nsf.gov/updates-on-p...
A devastating day for the USA as tens of millions of dollars of grants seeking to combat the spread of false information were terminated. We have a federal govenrment that does not consider the verifiable truth a priority. www.nsf.gov/updates-on-p...
Updates on NSF Priorities
www.nsf.gov
April 19, 2025 at 4:43 PM
I got an email yesterday afternoon that my NSF SPRF Postdoctoral Fellowship was terminated. My grant focused on testing interventions to address online misinformation and I was 8 months into a two year appointment.
📢 New Blog Post
A recent study shows that three-quarters of the German population have inadequate health literacy.
But what role does school education play — and what needs to change?
📖 Read the full post: www.raffaelheiss.com/post/school-...
#HealthLiteracy #HealthEducation #PublicHealth
A recent study shows that three-quarters of the German population have inadequate health literacy.
But what role does school education play — and what needs to change?
📖 Read the full post: www.raffaelheiss.com/post/school-...
#HealthLiteracy #HealthEducation #PublicHealth
School Education Needs Change to Bridge Gaps in Health Literacy
"Neither age nor grade level were significant predictors of health literacy."School education is meant to equip young people with the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in society. But our socie...
www.raffaelheiss.com
April 18, 2025 at 9:47 AM
📢 New Blog Post
A recent study shows that three-quarters of the German population have inadequate health literacy.
But what role does school education play — and what needs to change?
📖 Read the full post: www.raffaelheiss.com/post/school-...
#HealthLiteracy #HealthEducation #PublicHealth
A recent study shows that three-quarters of the German population have inadequate health literacy.
But what role does school education play — and what needs to change?
📖 Read the full post: www.raffaelheiss.com/post/school-...
#HealthLiteracy #HealthEducation #PublicHealth
📢 Spannender Artikel zum Thema #HealthInfluencer – mit Bezug auf unsere Studien und einem Blick auf die Chancen & Risiken.💡
Auch darin: spannende Interviews mit Influencern & Forschern – ich durfte auch ein paar Gedanken beisteuern.
#Medienkompetenz #Gesundheitskommunikation #PublicHealth
Auch darin: spannende Interviews mit Influencern & Forschern – ich durfte auch ein paar Gedanken beisteuern.
#Medienkompetenz #Gesundheitskommunikation #PublicHealth
Healthfluencer Social Media | Presse und Politik
Vor allem junge Menschen ziehen einen großen Teil ihres Wissens aus sozialen Netzwerken – so auch zu Gesundheitsthemen. Immer mehr Influencer tummeln sich in diesem Bereich. Sie klären über eine gesun...
www.aok.de
April 16, 2025 at 1:00 PM
📢 Spannender Artikel zum Thema #HealthInfluencer – mit Bezug auf unsere Studien und einem Blick auf die Chancen & Risiken.💡
Auch darin: spannende Interviews mit Influencern & Forschern – ich durfte auch ein paar Gedanken beisteuern.
#Medienkompetenz #Gesundheitskommunikation #PublicHealth
Auch darin: spannende Interviews mit Influencern & Forschern – ich durfte auch ein paar Gedanken beisteuern.
#Medienkompetenz #Gesundheitskommunikation #PublicHealth
Reposted by Raffael Heiss
📢 New Publication 📢
Alice Binder et al. analyzed TV series and movies named by Austrian kids and their parents, revealing that unhealthy food dominates, and further that characters' nonverbal evaluation of food is prominently linked to nutritional classifications.
👉🏼 doi.org/10.1016/j.jn...
Alice Binder et al. analyzed TV series and movies named by Austrian kids and their parents, revealing that unhealthy food dominates, and further that characters' nonverbal evaluation of food is prominently linked to nutritional classifications.
👉🏼 doi.org/10.1016/j.jn...
April 7, 2025 at 4:13 PM
📢 New Publication 📢
Alice Binder et al. analyzed TV series and movies named by Austrian kids and their parents, revealing that unhealthy food dominates, and further that characters' nonverbal evaluation of food is prominently linked to nutritional classifications.
👉🏼 doi.org/10.1016/j.jn...
Alice Binder et al. analyzed TV series and movies named by Austrian kids and their parents, revealing that unhealthy food dominates, and further that characters' nonverbal evaluation of food is prominently linked to nutritional classifications.
👉🏼 doi.org/10.1016/j.jn...
Reposted by Raffael Heiss
The NIH canceled my research on vaccine hesitancy www.statnews.com/2025/03/28/v... via @statnews
"Each year in the United States, approximately 6,000 people die from influenza.
More than 7,000 will die from Covid-19 in 2025.
...an American child died from measles for the first time in a decade."
"Each year in the United States, approximately 6,000 people die from influenza.
More than 7,000 will die from Covid-19 in 2025.
...an American child died from measles for the first time in a decade."
The NIH canceled my research on vaccine hesitancy
The decision to end research on vaccine hesitancy is deeply disrespectful of those who have lost or will lose loved ones to vaccine-preventable disease.
www.statnews.com
March 28, 2025 at 1:19 PM
The NIH canceled my research on vaccine hesitancy www.statnews.com/2025/03/28/v... via @statnews
"Each year in the United States, approximately 6,000 people die from influenza.
More than 7,000 will die from Covid-19 in 2025.
...an American child died from measles for the first time in a decade."
"Each year in the United States, approximately 6,000 people die from influenza.
More than 7,000 will die from Covid-19 in 2025.
...an American child died from measles for the first time in a decade."
Reposted by Raffael Heiss
So it begins: "Email directs NIH staff to identify grants related to ‘fighting misinformation’."
Honestly, I was a bit surprised that earlier lists of forbidden terms didn’t (yet) include “misinformation” & “disinformation.”
Turns out, they had a separate plan for dealing with that kind of research.
Honestly, I was a bit surprised that earlier lists of forbidden terms didn’t (yet) include “misinformation” & “disinformation.”
Turns out, they had a separate plan for dealing with that kind of research.
March 28, 2025 at 5:04 AM
So it begins: "Email directs NIH staff to identify grants related to ‘fighting misinformation’."
Honestly, I was a bit surprised that earlier lists of forbidden terms didn’t (yet) include “misinformation” & “disinformation.”
Turns out, they had a separate plan for dealing with that kind of research.
Honestly, I was a bit surprised that earlier lists of forbidden terms didn’t (yet) include “misinformation” & “disinformation.”
Turns out, they had a separate plan for dealing with that kind of research.
Wie erkenne ich 🚩🚩🚩 in den Gesundheitstipps von #Influencern? Unsere Checkliste hilft, fragwürdige Inhalte zu entlarven.
👇👇👇
👇👇👇
Damit ihr nicht bald „einen Gelben“ braucht, weil ihr aus Versehen auf medizinische Tipps unseriöser Medfluencer*innen gehört habt, hat das Projekt Health Influencers on Social Media eine Liste mit Red Flags aufgestellt. #Erdbeerkinn
https://www.hism-fwf.com/de/educational-material
https://www.hism-fwf.com/de/educational-material
March 21, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Wie erkenne ich 🚩🚩🚩 in den Gesundheitstipps von #Influencern? Unsere Checkliste hilft, fragwürdige Inhalte zu entlarven.
👇👇👇
👇👇👇
Reposted by Raffael Heiss
The weaponization of scientific institutions by an anti-science government…
The CDC is reportedly planning a large study into potential connections between vaccines and autism, "despite extensive scientific research that has disproven or failed to find evidence of such links"
Exclusive: U.S. CDC plans study into vaccines and autism, sources say
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is planning a large study into potential connections between vaccines and autism, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters, despite extensive scientific research that has disproven or failed to find evidence of such links.
www.reuters.com
March 7, 2025 at 8:56 PM
The weaponization of scientific institutions by an anti-science government…
📢Does school education improve #HealthLiteracy? Our data say NO.
We tested 780 Austrian pupils (9–13) using a performance-based HL test.
❌Result: No improvements w/ grade level (fig1).
⚠️Problem: They increasingly rely on unmoderated sources, but aren’t prepared (fig2).
🔗FULL STUDY: rdcu.be/eb548
We tested 780 Austrian pupils (9–13) using a performance-based HL test.
❌Result: No improvements w/ grade level (fig1).
⚠️Problem: They increasingly rely on unmoderated sources, but aren’t prepared (fig2).
🔗FULL STUDY: rdcu.be/eb548
March 4, 2025 at 10:10 AM
📢Does school education improve #HealthLiteracy? Our data say NO.
We tested 780 Austrian pupils (9–13) using a performance-based HL test.
❌Result: No improvements w/ grade level (fig1).
⚠️Problem: They increasingly rely on unmoderated sources, but aren’t prepared (fig2).
🔗FULL STUDY: rdcu.be/eb548
We tested 780 Austrian pupils (9–13) using a performance-based HL test.
❌Result: No improvements w/ grade level (fig1).
⚠️Problem: They increasingly rely on unmoderated sources, but aren’t prepared (fig2).
🔗FULL STUDY: rdcu.be/eb548
🚨 New study out!
We coded ~1,000 TikTok & Insta posts on 5 controversial medical tests: 87% hyped benefits, only 15% mentioned harms. 68% had financial ties.
👉 #Overdiagnosis
Study led by @brookenickel.bsky.social & @sydneyhealthlitlab.bsky.social 🌟
Read here👇
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
We coded ~1,000 TikTok & Insta posts on 5 controversial medical tests: 87% hyped benefits, only 15% mentioned harms. 68% had financial ties.
👉 #Overdiagnosis
Study led by @brookenickel.bsky.social & @sydneyhealthlitlab.bsky.social 🌟
Read here👇
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Social Media Posts About Medical Tests With Potential for Overdiagnosis
This cross-sectional study examines the tone and content of social media posts that discuss popular medical tests with potential for overdiagnosis or overuse.
jamanetwork.com
February 28, 2025 at 2:48 PM
🚨 New study out!
We coded ~1,000 TikTok & Insta posts on 5 controversial medical tests: 87% hyped benefits, only 15% mentioned harms. 68% had financial ties.
👉 #Overdiagnosis
Study led by @brookenickel.bsky.social & @sydneyhealthlitlab.bsky.social 🌟
Read here👇
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
We coded ~1,000 TikTok & Insta posts on 5 controversial medical tests: 87% hyped benefits, only 15% mentioned harms. 68% had financial ties.
👉 #Overdiagnosis
Study led by @brookenickel.bsky.social & @sydneyhealthlitlab.bsky.social 🌟
Read here👇
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
New blog post on #MediationAnalysis (MA), which is widely misunderstood and overused in #CommunicationResearch and #Psychology.
I made mistakes using MA myself, and no one should be blamed. But it's important to discuss flaws, esp. as MA has become so popular.
www.raffaelheiss.com/post/mediation
I made mistakes using MA myself, and no one should be blamed. But it's important to discuss flaws, esp. as MA has become so popular.
www.raffaelheiss.com/post/mediation
Why We Should Stop Using Mediation Analysis
"Imagine that a medical research group were to conduct an experimental test of a new drug for dementia, and use mediation analysis…”
www.raffaelheiss.com
February 12, 2025 at 2:10 PM
New blog post on #MediationAnalysis (MA), which is widely misunderstood and overused in #CommunicationResearch and #Psychology.
I made mistakes using MA myself, and no one should be blamed. But it's important to discuss flaws, esp. as MA has become so popular.
www.raffaelheiss.com/post/mediation
I made mistakes using MA myself, and no one should be blamed. But it's important to discuss flaws, esp. as MA has become so popular.
www.raffaelheiss.com/post/mediation
Reposted by Raffael Heiss
Thanks to @nature.com for publishing this article on our recent research into the #intimidation of #publichealth researchers working on tobacco, alcohol and ultra-processed foods.
Read it here: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Read it here: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
‘Nicotine Nazis’: the brickbats hurled at scientists researching tobacco’s harms
A study highlights how public-health researchers are targeted for focusing on tobacco, alcohol and ultra-processed foods.
www.nature.com
January 14, 2025 at 12:31 PM
Thanks to @nature.com for publishing this article on our recent research into the #intimidation of #publichealth researchers working on tobacco, alcohol and ultra-processed foods.
Read it here: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Read it here: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
I recently joined the @ejhc.bsky.social as an associate editor. The #EJHC is a great university-led #nonprofit & #nopaywall project, all articles are rigorously peer-reviewed and published #openaccess free of charge. Looking forward to your #healthcom submissions!💪
Link: ejhc.org
Link: ejhc.org
November 28, 2024 at 3:02 PM
I recently joined the @ejhc.bsky.social as an associate editor. The #EJHC is a great university-led #nonprofit & #nopaywall project, all articles are rigorously peer-reviewed and published #openaccess free of charge. Looking forward to your #healthcom submissions!💪
Link: ejhc.org
Link: ejhc.org