Systematization of experience in health education in the Porto Novo urban resettlement

Abstract

DOI: 10.12957/interag.2016.15900

This paper documents the experiences of a team composed of an interdisciplinary group of professors and students from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) in an urban resettlement between 2011 and 2013. The objectives of the University Community Project were: to promote academic growth to students while providing for local needs; to disseminate knowledge about ways to prevent foodborne illnesses and other zoonoses; and, to elaborate an educative material summarizing the educational actions in the community. A household survey was carried out, in which the residents were asked about their habits of acquisition, handling and storage of food, in addition to receiving guidance on foodborne diseases. At the same time, we sought to promote health through the dissemination of new knowledge about the acquisition, hygiene and preparation of food. We submitted the data to descriptive analysis. Throughout the period of the study, contact between students from different health courses was significant. Furthermore, we advertised the veterinarian as a participant from the sanitary control of food and the importance of the consumption of inspected food products to public health. The results were used as a theoretical basis for the development of educational and informational material, taking into account local needs.