Anti-discriminatory language in public health research and practice in Germany

Anti-discriminatory language has long been an important topic in the education and media sector, and has also been discussed in international public health research since the 1980s. However, the topic has so far had little presence in public health in Germany. Therefore, a guideline on discrimination-sensitive language around migration and health was developed at the Robert Koch Institute within the Improving Health Monitoring in Migrant Populations project. The 5 basic principles together with an overview of relevant terms and concepts are an orientation for responsible communication in public health research and invites people to critically examine and reflect on their own use of language. Expertise from the education and media sector, as well as from our anti-racist network played a crucial role the creation of the guideline. We will present and discuss the guideline with the international public health community to continue the learning process initiated during the creation process.