Virtual Patient Education Scenarios: Exploratory Step in the Study of Obesity Prevention Through Telemedicine

Within the current AI-based and patient-centered e-health framework aimed at developing accessible and resilient health systems, the paper presents a project addressing obesity prevention and healthy lifestyles education through Telemedicine transdisciplinary research. The goal is the development of a holistic and sustainable approach to health literacy within the new digital ecosystem, empowering patients and rethinking active citizenship education with aims of well-being, quality of life and equity. Purpose is education to be responsive to current healthcare innovations implementing patients’ learning experience and promoting the idea of change as learning rather than adaptation. We present an exploratory research involving 357 students attending degree courses in Education and Training Sciences and Primary Education Sciences of the University of Bari and of the Mediterranea University of Reggio Calabria aimed at investigating the social impact of obesity and students’ engagement with health technologies in terms of reliability, learning and use of data. The first results highlighted showed urgent need to build more inclusive schools and universities and new needs of citizenship addressing active participation in new digital health systems, from everyday wearables to telemedicine sensors.