Filter by author: Nereida Martínez-Báez

Providing access to reliable and accessible information in the face of novel or uncertain scenarios is one of the greatest challenges for public communication of science. This becomes especially sensitive in the field of health, where decisions can literally have life-or-death consequences. Encouraging the public to move beyond confirmation bias and question their beliefs in order to base their opinions on scientific consensus is a major challenge. This article analyzes the process of conceptualizing, designing, and testing recreational science workshops created to address issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic, a disease that between March 2020 and August 2022 caused 590 million infections and 6.4 million deaths worldwide. The activities were tested with 211 students aged 8 to 12 in a primary school in Zacatecas, Mexico. Questionnaires were sent to all participants, and 117 responses were obtained. The results point to a greater understanding of and interest in topics related to the novel coronavirus, as well as contagion prevention, vaccines, and the problems associated with self-medication.