Promoção da saúde na escola: um estudo qualitativo sobre a implementação do Itinerário Formativo Saúde Integral nas escolas estaduais de Minas Gerais

Abstract

Health promotion at school: a qualitative study on the implementation of the integral health training itinerary in state schools in Minas Gerais

The high school reform proposes the National Common Curricular Base which guides the development of each state's curriculum, thus the Reference Curriculum of Minas Gerais was conceived. This study focuses on the flexible component of the New High School, which are the Formative Itineraries, specifically the Integral Health Formative Itinerary (IFSI). Through the problem tree tool, the lack of awareness about the implementation process of IFSI in state schools in Minas Gerais (MG) was identified as the problem situation. Therefore, the general objective of this study was to identify the facilitators and barriers to implementing the Integral Health Formative Itinerary (IFSI) of the new High School curriculum in state schools in Minas Gerais. The specific objective was to understand teachers' perceptions regarding the implementation of IFSI in state high schools. A qualitative method based on the phenomenological approach was employed. The participants were 16 teachers from the state public school system who developed the Integral Health Formative Itinerary (IFSI) from February to December 2023. Data were collected through remote semi-structured interviews with the teachers from September to December 2023. The interviews followed an interview guide aimed at understanding the teachers' perspectives on concepts related to health, health promotion, health policies, and education, as well as the integration of health content into the curriculum and teaching-learning strategies. Data saturation was reached, determining the conclusion of the interviews. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using Graneheim and Lundman's content analysis method. From the analysis process, 8 categories emerged, which were condensed into 3 themes. The theme "Learning to teach health" included the categories "What teachers understand about health?" and "Teaching the Unified Health System (SUS)"; the theme "Paths and tactics for building intersectoral collaboration" included the categories "School partnerships with other social services, sectors, and volunteers" and "School Health Program (PSE)"; and the theme "Integral health in the curriculum: construction, strategies, critical analysis, strengths, and challenges" comprised the categories "IFSI", "Health as a cross-cutting theme in education", "Teaching-learning methodology in the context of IFSI", and "Facilitators and barriers". The integration of health content into the school curriculum, when well-structured and supported by adequate resources, has the potential to foster comprehensive and meaningful education. Teachers' perceptions indicate that, with adjustments and improvements, IFSI can be a relevant tool for consolidating health promotion in schools, contributing to the development of active and engaged citizens. As a technical product of this master thesis, a course proposal titled "Health Promotion in Schools" was developed. The course aims to train education and health professionals in implementing health promotion strategies in the school environment. It consists of 20 hours of instruction and will be available on the Escola de Formação e Desenvolvimento Profissional de Educadores Platform of the Secretaria de Estado de Educação de Minas Gerais.