Educação em saúde e a qualidade de vida em adolescentes: um estudo de intervenção escolar

Abstract

This study analyzed adolescents' responses to stimuli provided through the implementation of an educational intervention addressing health, well-being, quality of life, and self-reported health. The research employed a quantitative, quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design and was conducted in a full-time public school within the municipal education system of Fortaleza, Ceará. According to the Government Open Data Program of Fortaleza, the Human Development Index (HDI) of the neighborhood where the school participating in the study is located is 0.1821, ranking 106th among the neighborhoods of Fortaleza (Fortaleza, 2022). The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee under opinion number 7.344.296. The sample consisted of 146 adolescents aged 13 to 14 years, divided into an experimental group and a control group. Data collection occurred in four phases: administration of sociodemographic questionnaires and the WHOQOL-bref (pre-test), analysis of pre-test data, planning of the educational intervention, implementation of the intervention with the experimental group, and re-administration of the WHOQOL-bref (post-test). The intervention was based on the RAP da Saúde (2023) framework and aimed to strengthen youth agency, with a focus on physical, emotional, and social well-being. Although the educational intervention did not yield statistically significant results, increases in average quality of life and well being scores and reductions in data dispersion were observed, indicating greater homogeneity in adolescents’ perceptions. These findings suggest the positive potential of the intervention and underscore the importance of its continued development and refinement. Promoting adolescent health and well-being requires integrated actions within the school environment, with an emphasis on mental health, the development of socioemotional competencies, and the reduction of vulnerabilities. It is also recommended that educational actions be systematically included in school calendars, and that intersectoral collaboration between education and health sectors be pursued as an effective strategy for building health-promoting schools.