Investigating the Possible Socio-Environmental Impacts Arising from the Habits of Riverside Students in the Context of The Brazilian Amazon: A Look At Planetary Health

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to investigate potential socio-environmental impacts arising from riverside students’ habits in Brazilian Amazon reality. It is important to know the environmental effects that permeate the largest tropical forest on the Earth, in order to take more effective actions to minimize environmental damage, protecting human and environmental health at the same time. Method: The targeted audience of this investigation was 108 elementary school students from a riverside school in southern Amazonas. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire with 17 closed questions, administered over a 30-minute period. For data analysis, descriptive statistics were used, divided into four axes: social, food, transport and energy, and environment. Results and conclusion: The results enable reflections on local socio-environmental impacts. The students’ perception about the investigated topics revealed inequality and inequity; dietary patterns that compromise health; energy from polluting sources; water from community wells and burning of waste. The research endorses the need to (re)think about the educational praxis experienced in schools, considering planetary health themes, with riverside students as a fundamental part to disseminate information involving local environmental subjects and their relationship with health. Implications of the research: Presents socio-environmental issues faced by students living along the rivers in the Amazon, with the potential for dialogue between local issues and the dissemination of information to the general society. Originality/value: The research adds value to the concept of Planetary Health, enabling dialogues between environmental impacts experienced in the Amazon and the need to (re)think educational practices in schools. This is so that students can understand their role in the face of the significant environmental crisis affecting humanity.