The childhood-adolescence transition in a poverty area in Brazil: promoting Public Health actions and integrating university and community
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School of Medical Sciences, State University of Campinas, Brazil
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State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil
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University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil
Publication date: 2023-04-27
Popul. Med. 2023;5(Supplement):A840
ABSTRACT
Background and Objective: the wide prevalence of teenage pregnancy and sexual violence in Brazil is a common scenario in poverty areas of the country, known as “favelas”. With that in mind, the Vila Paula third mission program, carried out by professors and medical students from state university of Campinas (UNICAMP), since 2018, promotes dialogic interactions between residents of a favela in Campinas and the university, which stimulated students to create the growing in favela, a project that addresses themes related to the childhood-adolescence transition, integrated to public health actions in the territory, as the vulnerability of children and adolescents living in the area was realized as a health determinant. The objective is to welcome children and adolescents and guarantee safe information about the transition process between childhood and adolescence, marked by vulnerabilities and violences observed in the territory and not addressed in school or families. Methods: The project promotes talks, with participants from 8 to 12 years of age, about puberty, sexuality, pregnancy, STIS and sexual and gender violence. After each activity, a discussion group is held, with teaching specialists, addressing the corresponding topic in an integrated way with public health, in addition to a report. With these materials, the quality of the activity, its relation with health practices and the construction of relationships are evaluated. Results: It was observed the engagement of children and adolescents in the proposed activities, with drawings, texts and dialogues, given the possibility of safely expressing their own experiences and perceptions on the topics addressed. Conclusions: the interaction between university and children and adolescents living in areas of high vulnerability highlights the construction of public health actions jointly with university and community. The execution demonstrates that this interface promotes dialogic relationships, collaborating for enriching interventions and bonds through the exchange of information in health.