Avaliação do Conhecimento de segmentos sociais quanto a dengue e pediculose capitis e de uma intervenção educativa na prevenção da dengue

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

1999

RESUMO

Nowadays the raising number of dengue epidemics through many countries around the world has compelled many experts to reevaluate the basic ways to control the main vector - Aedes aegypti. An education that aim community participation in eliminating breeding sites of the dengue vector has been defended as the best, unless the unique proposal that can result in effective control of this disease in developing countries. Although expensive efforts on educational information through the communication vehicles have been very common, the experience has showed that they do not result in effective actions and consequent reduction in dengue prevalence. And indeed, few or almost nothing has been done in order to evaluate the entomological results from such interventions, that could contribute a lot for its adequacy. The present work aimed to evaluate at first time the knowledge about dengue of various social segments as well as about dengue and the pediculosis capitis of teachers and students from the elementary education of Campinas, SP, Brazil. It was evaluated the suitability of such knowledge and the will in reformulating it, as well as the existence and suitability of clear entomological goals that could address the reduction of dengue risk. It was used a qualitative approach method based on questionnaires, interviews and field exercises or their simulations in classrooms. It was also done direct observations upon the studied environment. In the period of 1995-97, when the region was under a dengue pre-epidemic situation, it was found that in general, teachers, students as well as their familiars, and other evaluated social segments, common1y have from "LOW" to "MEDUM? knowledge about the subjects and lacking attitudes in accordance to pre-supposed entomological goals. In a second moment at the end of 1997, it was evaluated a special educational intervention for dengue control, based on a theoretical-practical 40 hours course offered in UNICA1 P for 40 municipal educators and 6 health agents of Campinas. This group was evaluated up to one year as multiplier agents of the new gained knowledge and of the proposed actions to their students. It was also evaluated such multiplication from those students to their familiars. Additionally it was offered conditions for a vector surveillance and biological control by the school community. Teachers, students and their relatives were interviewed and the school and household environments were visited. After the early three evaluations (1, 2 and 3 months from the course), 68.8% of the teachers declared to have reduced in their schools possible breeding sites for the dengue mosquitoes. The majority of the students (92.9%) declared that they feel themselves able to control the mosquito vector in any environment, by avoiding stagnant water and by teaching people about the disease. The students declared also that 47.1 % of those people they were teaching have changed their attitudes due to the instructions they received. A 100% from the interviewed families declared that the student was teaching about dengue to the household, although in on1y 8.3% from the visited houses it was observed "reduction" and in 12.5% of those "total elimination" of possible breeding sites for the vector. One year after the intervention, 20 teachers were interviewed and their respective schools were visited. A total of 55% of the schools did not have any potential breeding site. The majority of the teachers declared that their students continue to insist on the total elimination of breeding sites in their houses (entomological goal), and such student behavior was confumed by the own student and relative s testimonies. 1t was interviewed 92 students at that time, and the great majority declared that the teacher are still involving the school community with the dengue subject. A total of 54.4 % of those students indicate that their houses do have potential breeding sites, but such sites were almost daily watched in order to not become active breeding site. lt was evaluated 90 families, and the majority declared that the child insistent1y warn about the risk of mosquito breeding places in their houses. According to their information, in 64.3% of the houses "do have not any breeding site", and that in 17.3% "do have potential breeding sites" but they were carefully watched, representing a total of 81.6% of houses nearest from a realistic entomological goal. It was observed during the visits that 41 % of the houses really do not have any possible breeding site, situation that according to the interviewed relatives carne from the insistant behavior of the child. It can be concluded that the evaluated educational process and the consequent change of attitudes evolved upon that time, significantly raising in a broad sense a supposed protection against dengue for the school staff, the children and related people on their residences. It is discussed based on epidemiological data that such supposed protection actually may not be enough in dengue prevention

ASSUNTO(S)

comunidade dengue educação

ACESSO AO ARTIGO

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