Next Steps

The following recommendations for next steps were generated as a result of the conference:

1. Increase the number of scholars, practitioners and educators who are familiar with media literacy in health prevention. Partner with media professionals.

• A. Create materials to facilitate wider introduction of media literacy as a component of health communication and health education. An undergraduate level and graduate level teaching module (three to five classes) on media literacy and health prevention could help health communication faculty incorporate instruction on media literacy into the field. Widespread distribution of a "teaching packet" via the internet would help disseminate knowledge about this emerging field.
  
  
• B. Develop an annual national summer institute at a major school of public health. This program could bring together practitioners with experience implementing media literacy and health prevention programs to expand and cultivate leadership and capacity building. Over time, this program could be an important forum for the dissemination of knowledge and information sharing among scholars and practitioners with interests in media, education and health prevention.
  
  
• C. Involve media professionals in forums and debates. A great deal of self- referential, often tongue-in-cheek "poached" material now appears in the media