Women’s health in Germany at a glance – a brochure derived from the Women’s Health Report

Abstract

Issue

In 2020, Federal Health Reporting published a 400-page report on women's health in Germany. Since dissemination is a general issue in health reporting, our aim was, after first addressing the scientific community, to convey the contents of this report to a broader audience and thus increase the public and policy impact of health reporting.

Description of the problem

After researching national and international models, the concept of an online brochure was developed with 50% text and 50% photos, illustrations and data visualisations. In the working process, which took about a year, the text of the comprehensive report was reduced to its core statements, the language simplified, examples and explanations added for better understanding. Content was rearranged forming double pages, e.g., the topics cancer, screening examinations, and HPV infection were combined. Data was updated, the topic of women during the Corona pandemic was added. To draw attention to the comprehensive report, links were inserted on each page.

Results

A 76-page brochure with the most important facts on women's health in Germany was published for International Women's Day 2023. It is illustrated by icons and photos, which are also used for an accompanying social media campaign. In addition to the online version, some printed brochures were produced and well requested. An English version is available at www.rki.de/womenshealthreport.

Lessons

The brochure is a data-based and scientifically reliable source of information for everyone interested in women's health. It gives visibility to the topic and supports those who advocate to strengthen women's health in Germany and elsewhere. We cannot yet assess its impact, but saw a great response to the social media campaign. One experience is the difficulty of reducing content and combining scientific accuracy and easy-to-understand language. An exchange with other countries on this could be useful, as could the development of good practice guidelines.

Key messages

• As an extract from the comprehensive report on women’s health in Germany, an illustrated brochure with the most important facts was published in March 2023 by Federal Health Reporting.

• The aim of the brochure and the accompanying social media campaign was to convey the topic of women’s health to a broader audience, thus increasing the public and policy impact of health reporting.