Portrait

Ms. Aurélia Naoko Naef studied Social Work and Political Science with a minor in Journalism and Media at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland from 2011 to 2014. She completed her Master's degree in Public Management and Policy at the University of Lausanne in 2016 after an Erasmus stay at the University of Potsdam (specializing in innovation management). After a subsequent internship as a junior researcher at the CHUV University Hospital in Lausanne, Ms. Naef worked for several years in Berlin as a social worker and educational specialist, including in child protection. Ms Naef continues to work as a language and cultural mediator for several social organizations and advice centers for refugees and migrants. Since May 2021, Ms Naef has been doing her doctorate at Hannover Medical School in the doctoral program "Chronic Diseases and Health Literacy" (ChEG) and will receive her Doctor of Public Health at the end of 2024.

Topic and aim of the doctorate

The topic of her doctoral project is "Increasing the health literacy of chronically ill adolescents with digital tools (using the example of type 1 diabetes with special consideration of duration of use, intensity of use and distribution of use)".

Background

Chronically ill adolescents require health literacy support that is specially adapted to their needs. Adolescence is a phase of transition from dependence in childhood to independence in adult life. Biological and emotional changes, new body perceptions, the search for identity as well as social and cognitive changes place specific demands on how adolescents deal with their illness and confront them with a double burden. For this reason, research is to be carried out into the extent to which they can be supported with support adapted to their habits.

Method

The cumulative dissertation consists of three parts. First, a systematic review is used to determine which digital tools exist to promote the health literacy of people suffering from type 1 diabetes mellitus. In the second and third phase, qualitative research in interviews with experts and those affected will determine how they view and evaluate the use of digital tools in relation to the health literacy of patients.

Publications

Fischbock N, Naef AN, Rathmann K, Dierks M-L (2025). Health literacy and Nursing: promoting profession-related health literacy in the acute inpatient care organization - analysis of the current status using participant observation. Prev Gesundheitsf (2025). doi.org/10.1007/s11553-025-01211-w

Fischbock N, Naef AN, Rathmann K, Dierks M-L (2024). Health literacy and Nursing - an analysis of the profession-related promotion of health literacy among patients in acute inpatient care. Präv Gesundheitsf. doi.org/10.1007/s11553-024-01125-z

Naef AN, Felsenheimer A, Klawunn R, Fischbock N, Tezcan-Güntekin H, Amelung VE (2024). Digital interventions to promote health literacy: a comparison of the perspectives of adolescents with type 1 diabetes and physicians. Prev Gesundheitsf doi.org/10.1007/s11553-024-01122-2

Naef AN, Fischbock N, Tezcan-Güntekin H and Amelung VE (2024). Adolescents with type 1 diabetes' perspectives on digital health interventions to enhance health literacy: a qualitative study. Front. Public Health 12:1340196. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1340196

Naef AN, Fischbock N, Tezcan-Güntekin H and Amelung VE (2024). Digital interventions for adolescents with type 1 diabetes to promote health literacy? A qualitative study on physicians' perspective in Germany. BMJ Public Health 2024;2:e000510. doi.org/10.1136/bmjph-2023-000510

Rathmann K, László E, Häberle N, Fischbock N, Naef AN, Dierks ML, Lander J, Bitzer EM, Naczinsky A, Preising A, Hammes K, Spatzier D (2024). On the way to a health-competent organization: experiences from and needs for (health care) research and practice. Health - together. Cooperation conference of the German Society for Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology (GMDS), German Society for Social Medicine and Prevention (DGSMP), German Society for Epidemiology (DGEpi), German Society for Medical Sociology (DGMS) and the German Society for Public Health (DGPH). Dresden, 08-13.09.2024. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2024. docAbstr. 653. doi: 10.3205/24gmds912

Fischbock N, Naef AN, Rathmann K, Dierks M-L (2023). Promotion of health literacy by nurses - an analysis of the profession-related promotion of health literacy in acute inpatient care, presentation, 22nd German Congress for Health Services Research (DKVF). Berlin. 2023. German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2023. doc23dkvf381. doi: 10.3205/23dkvf381.

Fischbock N, Naef AN, Rathmann K, Dierks M-L (2023). Health literacy and Nursing-an analysis of profession-based promotion of health literacy in acute inpatient care. Das Gesundheitswesen 2023; 85(08/09): 817 - 817. doi:10.1055/s-0043-1770626 - Awarded the 1st Poster Prize

Naef AN (2023). Impact of digital health for adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus on health literacy. 17th European Public Health Conference (EPH). Dublin 2023. European Journal of Public Health, Volume 33, Issue Supplement_2, October 2023, ckad160.1404. Doi:10.1093/eurpub/ckad160.1404

Naef AN, Fischbock N, Tezcan-Güntekin H, Amelung VE (2023). Promoting Health Literacy through Digital Health among Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes - Perspectives of Experts and Patients. Healthcare 2023; 85(08/09): 760 - 760. doi:10.1055/s-0043-1770427

Naef AN, Fischbock N, Wilhelm C, Tezcan-Güntekin H, Amelung VE (2023). Impact of digital health interventions for adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus on health literacy: a systematic review. Healthcare 2023; 85(08/09): 760 - 761. doi:10.1055/s-0043-1770428

Science Slam - Congress Poverty and Health 2023. Digital health interventions for adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus: "Nothing About us without us". Audience Award

Poster presentation WCPH World Congress on Public Health 2023 in Rome. Popul. Med. 2023;5(Supplement):A626 DOI: 10.18332/popmed/164777

Naef AN, Janine Michele ( 2023, August): Health literacy in chronically ill adolescents and young adults - Implications from practice. Workshop at the 58th Annual Conference of the German Society for Social Medicine and Prevention, Hanover, 30.08.2023.

Naef AN, Silke M, Häberle N (2023, August): The patient perspective in organizational health literacy - What changes do we need in the healthcare system? Workshop as part of the 58th Annual Conference of the German Society for Social Medicine and Prevention, Hanover, 31.08.2023.

Naef AN, Wilhelm C, Tezcan-Güntekin H, Amelung VE (2023). Digital interventions to promote health literacy in adolescents with type 1 diabetes. presentation. 22nd German Congress for Health Services Research (DKVF). Berlin. 2023. German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; Doc23dkvf529. doi: 10.3205/23dkvf529.

Naef AN, Wilhelm C, Tezcan-Güntekin H, Amelung VE (2023). Impact of digital health interventions for adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus on health literacy: a systematic review. BMC Endocrine Disorders (2023) 23:70. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12902-023-01321-6

Naef AN (2022, August): Impact of digital health interventions for adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus on health literacy: a systematic review. Poster presentation at the Summerschool chronic diseases and interdisciplinary health literacy research, Hanover, 01.08.2022.

Posselt J, Ahrens S, Oppermann L, Naef AN (2022): Interdisciplinary health literacy research. the perspective of early career researchers. Findings from the ChEG Summer School. In: Qualitas 22(4), pp. 34-36.