PLAYFUL APPROACHES TO DENGUE PREVENTION IN SCHOOLCHILDREN: AN ACCOUNT OF CURRICULAR EXTENSION EXPERIENCE IN CURITIBA

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5212/Rev.Conexao.v.22.26831.030

Abstract

Dengue fever remains a significant public health problem in Brazil, requiring ongoing health education strategies for vulnerable populations. This article reports a health education extension experience focused on dengue prevention, conducted with 32 second-grade elementary school students at Escola Municipal Irati, in the Cajuru neighborhood of Curitiba, during the first semester of 2024, linked to the Teaching and Community Integration curricular unit of the Medicine course at Faculdades Pequeno Principe. The intervention combined a dialogued conversation with a playful activity called Dengue Informant, in which children identified Aedes aegypti breeding sites across the school yard. Good adherence, progressive understanding of preventive behaviors, and high engagement were observed. The experience highlighted the potential of playful methodologies for child health promotion and reinforced the role of curricular extension in shaping socially committed medical professionals.

 

Author Biographies

  • João Vitor Takehiko Rodrigues Yryu, Faculdades Pequeno Príncipe (FPP)

    Aluno de Graduação nas Faculdades Pequeno Príncipe (FPP), Curitiba, PR, Brasil. 

  • Roberta Graf Beninca, Faculdades Pequeno Príncipe (FPP)

    Aluna de Graduação nas Faculdades Pequeno Príncipe (FPP), Curitiba, PR, Brasil.

  • Ana Luiza Lemos de Albuquerque, Faculdades Pequeno Príncipe (FPP)

    Aluna de Graduação nas Faculdades Pequeno Príncipe (FPP), Curitiba, PR, Brasil.

  • Beatriz Mayara Oliveira Castro, Faculdades Pequeno Príncipe (FPP)

    Aluna de Graduação nas Faculdades Pequeno Príncipe (FPP), Curitiba, PR, Brasil

  • Júlia Laurentino Silveira, Faculdades Pequeno Príncipe (FPP)

    Professora nas Faculdades Pequeno Príncipe (FPP), Curitiba, PR, Brasil. Mestrado em Ensino nas Ciências da Saúde.

  • Maria Eduarda Adachi de Menezes, Faculdades Pequeno Príncipe (FPP)

    Aluna de Graduação nas Faculdades Pequeno Príncipe (FPP), Curitiba, PR, Brasil.

Published

2026-08-19