PERCEPÇÕES DE ALUNOS DA REDE PÚBLICA DE ENSINO DE NATAL/RN SOBRE EDUCAÇÃO EM SAÚDE NA ESCOLA

Abstract

Introduction: The School Health Program (PSE) is an intersectoral policy between the Ministries of Health and Education and provides for technical assistance activities under the responsibility of the professionals of the Family Health Teams (ESF), as well as popular health education activities. Objective: This study aimed to identify health education activities carried out in high schools in the municipality of Natal in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, as well as to verify the expectations of students regarding the role of health professionals and government officials to enable an improvement in their quality of life.  Methodology: an evaluation study was developed with a sectional cut and quantitative approach with second year high school students enrolled in 2018. These students answered a questionnaire for social and economic characterization in order to identify their expectations for improving the quality of life and on health education activities carried out in their school. The analysis of the answers was done through a database in Excel to facilitate the calculation of absolute and relative frequencies of the categorical variables, as well as the calculation of the mean and standard deviation of the numerical variables (age, income). Results: Among the main results, the low rate of actions aimed at promoting health in schools, especially events of the School Health Program (PSE), as well as the desire for both governments and health professionals to better exercise their work directed at the community. Conclusions: It was therefore concluded that the PSE action in the public Natal network was rather flawed, as most students responded by not recognising any action taken by this programme in their respective schools.