O programa saúde na escola em Santa Maria, RS: sob o olhar de quem ensina

Abstract

The objective of this study is to evaluate the participation and the perception of a group of education professionals involved in the Health in the School Program (HSP), linked to Family Health Strategy (FHS) teams, in the city of Santa Maria/RS. This work is characterized as a descriptive research in which 50 teachers were questioned through a closed questionnaire. The data were treated under descriptive statistics and distributed in tables and graphs. The results showed that the majority of teachers were female (47%). The schools involved were located in the urban area (88%) and allocate a weekly period for the planning of HSP actions. Financing and material resources were considered regular/optimal (31%-50%); capacitations and trainings, good/optimal and sufficient (82.7%-73.9%); the physical structure, good/optimal (72%); and, where there are MRPIPHS resident (59.1%), HSP activities were more frequent. The actions were planned and developed with health professionals, but the political-pedagogical project does not. The students were consulted about the health topics addressed and participated actively in the actions; however, parents or guardians do not. The teaching in the municipal schools of Santa Maria/RS is mainly directed towards early childhood education and primary education. The main problems for the accomplishment of the actions were: lack of financial and human resources and the counter reference. It is concluded that, in the view of education professionals, the HSP developed satisfactorily in Santa Maria/RS; however, changes, adaptations, incentives, commitment and innovation are necessary to be more effective.