Abstract

SANTOS, Kátia Ferreira dos  and  BOGUS, Cláudia Maria. Educators' perception about the school as a promoter of health: a case study. Rev. bras. crescimento desenvolv. hum. [online]. 2007, vol.17, n.3, pp. 123-133. ISSN 0104-1282.

The present work aimed to identify the understanding and perception that educators at a public school in São Paulo have in relation to the themes of health education and health promotion at school and regarding the practices developed in the school environment to promote health. A study was carried out in which three different techniques were combined to collect data: documental analysis, self-administered questionnaires and focal groups. Results showed that the educational practices are very heterogeneous but there is the predominance of a specialist conception, that is, the teacher of Sciences is considered the best-prepared person to develop health educational practices. There is also a general tendency towards a paternalist view that is based on non-permanent help, without taking into consideration the historical and social conditions of the school community. Concerning the development of actions related to health promotion, the majority of teachers exclude themselves from the planning and execution process, attributing this role to the principal and the pedagogical coordinator. Thus, the teachers' performance is marked by the execution of tasks, showing that there is a distance between the activities related to planning and action. Although the majority of the educators does not participate in civil entities, they refer to the establishment of a system of partnerships with the community and civil institutions as something important for the acquisition of shared knowledge in order to promote health.

Keywords : Health Promotion; Health Education; School Health; School Health Services.

        · abstract in Portuguese     · text in Portuguese     · Portuguese ( pdf )