Knowledge of chagas disease among students of the basic education network in the municipality of Zé Doca, Maranhão, Brazil

Abstract

Chagas disease (CD) is a neglected tropical disease that affects thousands of people every year. The aim of this study was to implement educational interventions on CD in schools of the municipality of Zé Doca, Maranhão, and to analyze the knowledge of the students after the educational intervention. It is a descriptive, exploratory, cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach. The participants were students regularly enrolled at the Instituto Estadual de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Maranhão (IEMA) and the Centro de Ensino Professor Francisco de Assis Amorim. Educational activities were carried out, followed by the application of a semi-structured questionnaire to assess the students’ knowledge of the basic aspects of CD. A total of 114 students participated, with an average age of 16.2 years; 63.1% were female, 64.9% self-identified as mixed race, and 36.8% reported a family income below the minimum wage. In terms of housing conditions, 94.7% reported living in brick houses with plastered walls, and 64.9% reported consuming filtered water. In addition, 64.9% reported being unaware of CD; 78.0% of participants identified the parasite; 85.8% recognized the main modes of transmission routes of CD; 86.8% identified prevention methods; and 91.2% had never participated in CD awareness campaigns. Students highlighted as positive aspects the ease of understanding (44.7%), learning new information (34.2%), and the importance of the topic (21.0%). The findings suggest that students absorbed the information provided during the educational activities. Therefore, social media, combined with face-to-face health education initiatives, are essential strategies for disseminating information and contributing to the prevention of CD.

KEY WORDS: Chagas disease; health education; neglected tropical diseases.