Presentation
DigitalHealthEdu
Digital technologies for healthy lifestyles?
A collaborative study to develop critical digital health pedagogies with and for young people.
What does the DigitalHealthEdu project consist of?
In recent decades, the integration of digital technologies in the healthcare field has driven an epistemic and practical transformation known as the "digital health revolution". The concept of digital health encompasses technologies —from websites and forums to mobile applications, social networks, and wearable devices— that not only address prevention and treatment, but also the promotion of health and healthy lifestyles (physical activity, nutrition, well-being, etc.).
The DigitalHealthEdu (PID2021-122672OB-I00) project is situated in the critical analysis of this digitalized health promotion. In contrast to instrumentalist approaches, the project is based on the hypothesis that these technologies play an implicit pedagogical role: they transmit normative messages about the body, health, and subjectivity, configuring what we call digital biopedagogies that often come into tension with formal curricula.
Why study digital health in educational contexts?
Previous studies and our initial results confirm that children and young people widely use these technologies, with experiences ranging from benefits (access to useful information) to risks (excessive self-surveillance, gendered body ideals, individualistic responsibilization of health).
The educational relevance of this phenomenon is based on three key aspects:
■ Gap between formal and informal learning: Young people grant high credibility to content from influencers and algorithms, often above family or school sources.
■ Affective and bodily dimension: Technologies generate affects (desire, insecurity, motivation) that are not addressed through exclusively cognitive approaches.
■ Emerging inequalities: Access and impact are mediated by gender, social class, and environment (rural/urban).
Therefore, the project addresses the urgent need to develop critical, collaborative, and contextualized pedagogies that empower young people to navigate this digital ecosystem in an equitable, reflective, and healthy manner.
What is the methodological approach?
We adopt a participatory, multi-method, and iterative design, carried out in Madrid and Galicia. To date, we have the active participation of:
■ More than 2,200 young people from 27 schools.
■ PAR (Participatory Action Research) phase with stable groups.
■ Questionnaires to a representative sample.
■ Digital diaries (anonymous Instagram) with 54 young people.
■ Co-creation workshops with artistic methodologies (collage, mapping) with 78 young people.
■ International advisory and expert consultation.
Ethics, confidentiality, and anonymity are central axes of our process, endorsed by the UCM Ethics Committee.
WHAT ARE THE PROJECT OBJECTIVES?
Our objectives revolve around three main questions that guide the entire research:
■ Understand in depth: We analyze what digital technologies young people use in their daily lives and how these impact their health, habits, and identities, considering differences in gender, origin, and socioeconomic status.
■ Co-create solutions: We work alongside young people and teachers to co-create critical pedagogies that allow them to challenge normative messages and manage the affects associated with digital health.
■ Design an educational proposal: The final challenge is to design materials, guides, and practical resources that promote critical digital health education in Secondary Education schools.