In the current contexts of health determinants, the importance of personal choices and individual practices with regard to health is increasingly underlined and the risk of specific disease entities. Undoubtedly, health, along with all its dimensions, should be seen not only in biological and medical terms, but also in cultural and social terms, as these categories determine health in a significant way. The determinants include mass culture messages, because they are now an important socializing factor and one of the most important ways people use to give meaning to their lives. Mass culture is at the same time a neglected sphere in the field of research on health education, health promotion and pedagogy of health. Due to the enormous power and wide range of media coverage, it would be a mistake to ignore their significance in relation to health. It is related with the need to broaden the interests of the sciences dealing with the social and cultural determinants of health. The basic purpose of such investigations is, of course, planning educational strategies aimed at increasing people's health awareness. The starting point of educational strategies should be the diagnosis, because it gives the opportunity to interpret the phenomenon and formulate conclusions in the field of improving the existing state of affairs. From the point of view of educational interactions, it is therefore an element of fundamental importance. As part of the dissertation, research was conducted to diagnose the health behaviors of the inhabitants of the Silesian Voivodship, their perception of their own body, as well as the perception of selected phenomena present in media messages.
The collected empirical material also enabled the verification of accepted research hypotheses concerning the occurrence of the relationship between the perception of phenomena present in media messages and the health behaviors of the inhabitants of the Silesian Voivodship and their perception of their own body. Own research allowed to formulate conclusions and recommendations for educational practice. As part of the postulates for pedagogical practice, theoretical models of effective interventions in the field of health and media education have also been formulated in relation to various social systems.
The dissertation consists of three main parts. The first part is a synthesis of the most important content from the literature related to the concepts of: health, health behaviors, mass culture and health education. The second part of the dissertation is the methodological basis of the conducted research procedure. The third part is the analysis and interpretation of own research. The dissertation ends with a chapter devoted to the conclusions drawn from the conducted research and the postulate for practice.
It is worth emphasizing the usefulness of the dissertation for enriching the theoretical reflection of health pedagogy, or more broadly social pedagogy, whose aim, and the task is to conduct prophylactic activities and compensates. The practical value of the conducted research, which is an inspiration to expand the field of exploration for the socio-pedagogical practice, cannot be overlooked
