Contributions of collaborative research to the promotion of health in the school context: longitudinal study

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze the health determinants of elementary school students from a public school in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, who participated in health education activities for four years. In the investigated school context, guided by the perspective of collaborative research, training processes were carried out with the teachers, with a view to training them to address health promotion strategies, which contemplated aspects of food and lifestyle. The study, of the longitudinal case study type, included students who participated in the pedagogical actions for four consecutive and uninterrupted years, totaling eight assessments (at the beginning and end of each school year) in this period. Anthropometric measurements, interviews and questionnaires were carried out, in addition to participant observation and a field diary to record and store information relevant to the context. The results pointed to high levels of sedentary lifestyle, low and/or moderate nutritional knowledge and regular eating habits. Throughout the investigated period, the participants underwent behavioral changes. Thus, it is concluded that the educational actions in health contributed to the identification of demands and approximation with the daily life of the students who, from the pedagogical actions, developed greater autonomy regarding aspects of their lives, as well as responsibly fostering the actions taken. of decisions about choices that involve behavioral determinants in health.