Health education in first level schools at the outskirts of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brasil: II. awareness, knowledge and prevalence of helminthic diseases among first Grade teachers and pupils

Abstract

As part of a wide ranging project concerning education and health, aiming both to update and develop new materials and methods for 1st Grade schools, the present study investigated the state of knowledge and prevalence of helminthic diseases in school populations. Interviews and parasitological exams undertaken in four schools (two experimental and two controls) on the outskirts of Belo Horizonte showed: a. that both teachers and pupils have little information concerning helminthic diseases as well as incorrect notions and ignorance of the mechanisms of transmission; b. high prevalence in the school: 69.0% and 76.0% (Bairro Gorduras) and 46.0% and 24.0% (Vale do Jatobá and Barreiro de Cima) in the first year of study (1988). Comparing the four schools, there is a direct relationship between the living conditions of the pupils and the indices of prevalence. Considering the fact that such helminthic diseases are known to have been present for a long time, it is a striking how removed the school is from the problems and realities of its pupils