Description of resource
Part 1: Data Review (30 minutes)
Each group will:
- Explore Our World in Data to identify the top 5 causes of death globally.
- List diseases/conditions that receive relatively little media attention despite high mortality.
- Discuss demographic patterns (age, region) and how they influence burden.
Part 2: Media Analysis (30 minutes)
- Read the WEF article and skim headlines/examples from the study.
- Identify health topics that are overrepresented (e.g., terrorism, rare diseases) vs. underrepresented (e.g., cardiovascular disease, TB).
- Discuss possible reasons why media overrepresents some causes (news value, drama, fear, etc.).
Part 3: Critical Discussion (20 minutes)
Questions to guide reflection:
- What are the dangers of skewed media coverage for individual health decisions?
- How does it affect public health funding and resource allocation?
- How should health professionals respond when media hype contradicts epidemiological reality?
Citation:
Related activities
By the end of this exercise, students should be able to:
- Compare media coverage of causes of death with actual epidemiological data.
- Identify discrepancies between public perception and statistical reality.
- Reflect on the implications of misaligned media attention for public health policy and patient behavior.
- Develop strategies for communicating accurate health information.
Slides
