Avaliação de estratégias para promoção de educação transformadora em Uma Só Saúde para crianças do Ensino Básico

Abstract

Historically, health education has been incorporated into the training of children, aiming not only to inform but also to transform behaviors regarding self-care, the prevention of zoonoses, environmental preservation, and animal care. In this context, zoonoses—diseases transmitted between humans and animals—are significant global health concerns. Health education projects that inform about such diseases, particularly regarding prevention and control, have gained prominence in public policies. However, there is a scientific gap regarding how to work on health education using alternative teaching methods, whether there is a difference in the effectiveness of the strategies used, and the preferences of students and educators, as well as the costs associated with these strategies. To address this, four teaching strategies were developed: group discussion, theater, board game, and chalkboard. These strategies were applied in lessons about the four zoonoses most prevalent in the municipality of Contagem, Minas Gerais, Brazil: sporotrichosis, spotted fever, leishmaniasis, and rabies. The strategies were implemented and tested in four public schools with two years of elementary education, targeting students aged eight to twelve. To obtain results regarding the effectiveness of the strategies, semi-structured questionnaires were used with questions about the studied zoonoses, and the number of correct answers from students was evaluated before and after the interventions. Additionally, focus group sessions were conducted as a qualitative research strategy to assess students' experiences with the project. A total of 166 students and eight teachers from the schools participated in the study. The difference in the number of correct answers accumulated before and after the interventions was not associated with the strategy used (p-value = 1). Furthermore, there was no difference in student performance when comparing the effects of the strategies (p = 0.999). The accuracy rate regarding zoonoses increased from 15.7% in the first session to 56.6% in the last session (p < 0.05). Knowledge about One Health increased from 38.2% in the first session to 55.7% in the last session (p < 0.05). Changes were also made in the students' home environments to prevent, particularly, the occurrence of the phlebotomine causing leishmaniasis and the roaming of unsupervised cats, showing these strategies were effective in preventing the addressed zoonoses. According to the students' perceptions evaluated in the focus group, the "board game" was the most engaging strategy, followed by "group discussion," "theater," and "chalkboard." Conversely, the teachers perceived "group discussion" as the best strategy to promote student interest and learning, also presenting better cost-effectiveness, making it easier to implement in the school routine. The results reinforce the need to include such approaches in public policies, highlighting that, regardless of the teaching strategy applied, health education proved effective in enhancing children's knowledge about zoonoses and in promoting changes in their households, contributing to the strengthening of the One Health concept.