Editorial: Public Health Promotion and Medical Education Reform Volume III

Jing TianJunhai ZhouXiaoyun Zeng^*Jian Chen^*

• Guilin Medical University, Guilin, China

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, governments and local authorities have addressed this global crisis by increasing investment, making public policies, enhancing individual health awareness, and improving public health facilities and services [1].Indisputably, the coronavirus pandemic has not only contributed to considerable progress in the field of public health and medical education, but also exposed a host of issues within the public health system. After years of public health system reform, disseminating health knowledge, optimizing basic health service delivery, cultivating medical talents, and reforming medical education still need continuous exploration. Health promotion refers to activities that enable individuals and communities to improve their health and overall well-being. A fundamental and integral component of health promotion is health education. Specifically, individuals and communities health outcomes are determined by the interplay of social, economic, and cultural factors, which can be positively shaped by effective health education [2].Over the past decades, the significance of health education and prevention has been increasingly recognized. However, existing health education systems face multiple limitations, including inequalities between developed and developing countries as well as between urban and rural areas. For example, despite substantial improvement in the availability of prevention tools and effective treatment, responses to the sexual and reproductive health remain suboptimal, particularly in some regions of Africa [3]. An institution-based cross-sectional study demonstrated that the pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) remains under-utilized among female sex workers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This Visual impairment (VI) is another global health concern, ranking behind only cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes. Although VI can be prevented or slowed with timely intervention, eye care has been neglected over the years [5]. A report from the developed country U.S. Currently, the primary sources of health education encompass healthcare professionals, mass media, educational materials and school education [6]. Among these, the media play an outstanding role in sharing healt-related information. In China, short-video platforms (e.g. TikTok, Bilibili, and Kwai) are experiencing rapid growth, owing to the sociality, interactivity, vividness and originality of short videos. Nevertheless, a cross-sectional study on the information quality of H. pylori-related videos across three platforms revealed that the content and quality of the videos were suboptimal (Lai et al. 2024). Short videos produced by health professionals tend to offer more accurate, high-quality, and reliable guidance on disease prevention and treatment. In the future, short-video platforms should be refined to prevent the propagation of misinformation through online social networks. Furthermore, more professionals should be encouraged to release authoritative and credible short videos. As the COVID-19 pandemic comes to an end, countries worldwide have shifted their public health policies from confronting the pandemic to enhancing the health of the entire population. Moreover, the onset of COVID-19 substantially accelerated the formulation and implementation of evidence-informed health policy regarding primary health care Consequently, the primary public health system has relatively improved in some countries. However, the majority of developing countries continue to encounter challenges in providing access to essential primary health services for economically disadvantaged and/or low-educated populations, especially in resource-limited settings. For It has been widely acknowledged that the primary goal of medical education is to train qualified healthcare professionals who will improve the public health. However, medical education currently confronts a series of challenges such as insufficient training of emergency response ability, inadequate integration of interdisciplinary knowledge, and a lack of humanistic education [8]. Accordingly, a growing number of medical education institutions have been carrying out reforms in higher medical education system. In addition, the cultivation of humanistic qualities is recognized as an essential part of medical education, yet it has been neglected for a considerable period of time. To strengthen humanistic education for medical students, colleges have incorporated humanistic courses into the curriculum system. Furthermore, the implementation of labor education has been shown to help students establish a correct outlook in labor and develop a social consciousness of saving (Wang et al. 2024). Following confirmation of the role of public health education in enhancing awareness and capacity for disease prevention, there is a need As a cooperative learning strategy, the Jigsaw teaching method emphasizes group work and full engagement in learning activities. In contrast, the Self-Regulated Learning cycle encourages students' independent learning and self-monitoring. Notably, the combination of these two approaches can boost the interplay of personal, behavioral, and environmental factors, thereby more effectively improving students' self-regulated learning ability and commitment (Chen et al. 2025).Educational digitalization is a pivotal element of teaching reform.By utilizing modern information technologies such as human-computer interaction, cloud computing and big data analytics, the curriculum teaching can deliver intelligent learning guidance, a high-quality learning environment, and favorable learning conditions [9]. For example, the application of virtual Reality (VR) technology in classroom settings can simulate real clinical scenarios, and offer personalized learning paths and resources. Consequently, this technology not only enhances students' learning motivation and practical skills, but also strengthens their self-confidence and professional competencies. Therefore, clinical nurse educators from a tertiary hospital in Wuhan city exhibit a strong willingness to adopt VR technology (Li et al. 2024). High-quality medical talents are the foundation for delivering satisfactory medical and health services. However, as public healthcare systems grow increasingly complex, the demands on medical talents have become more stringent in the new era. Beyond professional knowledge and skills, good humanistic literacy and self-learning ability, a qualified medical student should also possess innovative spirits and strong emotional regulation ability [10].Against the backdrop of the pandemic, public health educators and practitioners have recognized that medicine is an evolving discipline.Only medical students equipped with innovative capabilities can actively explore optimal medical processes, introduce new technologies and methods, and improve treatment efficacy [11]. Indeed, Chinese medical To meet patients' healthcare needs, medical students must devote greater effort to acquiring professional knowledge and skills, along with increased mental stress in their future clinical practice. Hence, mental health has emerged as an important health concern for medical students worldwide, especially in Asia where students are prone to mental health issues. An analysis of happiness perception among Korean medical students revealed that enhancing students' happiness is mainly dependent on social support, self-management, and quality of life (Lee et al. 2025).In light of these findings, medical schools should foster students' well-being by providing opportunities for emotion regulation training, physical activities, and career guidance services. Universities (HPUs) initiative to create an environment that integrates health (physical and mental) into institutional culture, policies, and activities [12]. In the context of HPUs, all members (students, teachers and staff) have a high level of participation in the decision-making processes regarding health that influence their learning, working and living. Nevertheless, the successful adaptation of HPUs to local culture is essential for the effective implementation of HPU initiatives (Boncheva et al. 2024).Last but not least, the reliable and valid assessment is of considerable importance to comprehensive education reform, helping to determine whether a reform is working and how to implement improvements. At present, assessment methods have shifted from summative to formative assessment [13]. Formative assessment is used to monitor students' progress to provide ongoing feedback that supports the continuous development of their comprehensive qualities and abilities. A cross-sectional study shows that the perceived formative assessment can directly boost psychological empowerment, further foster positive academic emotions, and ultimately promote medical students' learning autonomy (Wang et al. 2024).In summary, the explosive growth of health education has contributed to significant advancements in public health as manifested by improved public health awareness, enhanced public health outcomes, and strengthened public health system. However, we must clearly recognize that the growth in public health lags behind the growth in demand, which has been well substantiated by the COVID-19 pandemic.