Health education for the prevention of parasitic diseases in childhood

Abstract

Parasites are considered a global health problem because, although they do not present a high mortality rate, they cause significant harm to children. In Brazil, these parasites are still a serious public health problem, with their highest prevalence in communities with a lower socioeconomic position, coupled with infrastructure deficits such as absent sanitation, lack of water supply and precarious food conditions. Children are the most affected group. The research aims to verify the evidence regarding health education for the prevention of parasitic diseases in childhood. This is an integrative literature review carried out by consulting search engines Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences, Nursing Database, National Center for Medical Sciences Information of Cuba, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, National Library of Medicine and the Virtual Library Scientific Electronic Library Online. The Health Science Descriptors from the Regional Library of Medicine and their equivalents were used. the English language in Medical Subject Headings: Health Education; Parasitic Diseases; Integrated Management of Childhood Illness; Disease Prevention with the help of Boolean operators AND/OR. After analyzing the articles, eight publications were chosen, which were separated into two categories: Risk factors for childhood parasitic diseases and promotion of health education for the prevention of parasitic diseases in childhood. Carrying out the study provided a reflection on the practice of health education as a measure to prevent parasitic diseases in childhood, being essential in schools, which are considered important channels of awareness and modulators of habits, not only for children, but also for the community in question. general.