Public health education for young students aided by technology

Abstract

Brazil is a large country with a population of nearly 200 million people. There are difficulties in providing public health education. To ensure its effectiveness, health education should begin during adolescence, to encourage young people to adopt healthy habits. A web-based tele-education platform was developed. Thirty students from a public high school in the rural city of Tatui took part in a pilot trial. Six teachers coordinated the student's activities. After face-to-face training, the students participated in tele-education, using a ‘cybertutor’ (an educational environment based on the website) and discussion lists. There were 15 face-to-face interactions, followed by more than 200 offline and 50 online interactions. The students learned about seven health topics. During the following year, 20 of the students used their knowledge to teach people from their local communities. We estimate that about 3000 people, including children, adults and the elderly, received public health education during events in Tatui and in their schools. The pilot trial showed that face-to-face and distance interventions in the rural city of Tatui were a feasible method of disseminating public health information.