Bremen – Type 2 diabetes is increasingly affecting young adults in Germany, with new evidence showing poverty, low education, and first-generation migration background as factors associated with the disease. A study from the Leibniz…

Even after the pandemic, long-term symptoms following respiratory infections are not uncommon. Such symptoms occur with similar frequency and severity following infections with the coronavirus, influenza, and other respiratory pathogens.…

In this retrospective episode, host Rasmus Cloes and Christoph Wellbrock discuss why fitness apps often fail to reach exactly the people they’re intended for. From Pokémon Go to AI-powered strength training to the nursing home experiment,…

School Meals as the Key to Health and Equal Opportunity

Children who eat well at school learn better and stay healthier. This is especially true for children who have less access to balanced meals at home. In 2018, Bremen launched a pilot…

Host Rasmus Cloes speaks with Dr. Thomas Eßmeyer from the Digital Media Lab at the University of Bremen about manipulative designs on social media. The discussion covers Amazon’s cancellation maze, Meta’s attempt to access our contacts, and…

“The system only kicks in when we get sick”

Epidemiologist Hajo Zeeb attributes Germany’s low life expectancy—compared to other OECD countries—to excessive tolerance of tobacco and alcohol.

How Epidemiologists Count Heat-Related Deaths

So far this year, more people in Germany have died as a result of the heat than ever before since records began in 1992. MDR AKTUELL listener Ralf Eilert wonders how these figures are actually…

On August 27, Prof. Dr. sc. hum. Ulrike Haug, head of the Department of Clinical Epidemiology at the Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology - BIPS, answered questions from the audience as part of the interactive…

What a Sugar Tax Might Achieve

The federal government wants to introduce a tax on sugary drinks. What are the benefits of such price increases? Are there risks, and are there effective alternatives? Here are the key questions and answers.

Host Rasmus Cloes speaks with Dr. Nadine Wagener of the PPC Group at OFFIS—Institute for Computer Science—about virtual reality as a tool for mental health: Participants use it to build their own “happy place,” resolve conflicts with their…