Intervenção educativa para o desenvolvimento de hábitos alimentares e odontológicos saudáveis em escolares

Abstract

The promotion of health in schools, through educational methods, can lead to satisfactory results in the physical, mental, and social development of school-age children, as well as contribute to the formation of their habits and behaviors throughout life. Thus, the objective of this study was to conduct nutritional and dental assessments among private school students in Palmas (TO), in order to propose an educational intervention aimed at promoting a healthier lifestyle. This is a cross-sectional study, which included anamnesis regarding habits and lifestyle, as well as anthropometric, dietary, and dental evaluations. Subsequently, a cycle of 10 workshops was proposed and tested in a pilot study with the studied child population. A total of 53 children participated in the study, with the majority being female (60,4%), an average age of 90,3 ± 3,2 months, and a prevalence of normal weight (64,7%). However, it was observed that 33,3% of the children were overweight; there was also a high consumption of industrialized and ultra-processed foods (68,4%). Regarding daily intake of macronutrients and energy, 65,8% had an adequate intake of carbohydrates, 94,7% for proteins, 39,5% for lipids, and 71,1% for energy. In terms of daily micronutrient intake, only vitamin B12 showed a high adequacy level (78,9%). For the other evaluated micronutrients, high prevalence rates of inadequacy were observed for vitamin A (89,5%), vitamin D (97,4%), calcium (97,4%), and iron (52,6%). In the dental analysis, it was found that the children had a Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (SOHI) considered good (65,9%), with 10,4% of the 997 evaluated teeth being decayed, predominantly with code 1 (60%), which indicates the presence of opacity in pits and fissures visible with a dry surface. Therefore, given the diagnosis of nutritional inadequacies and the presence of dental caries, there is a need for an intervention focused on food education, nutrition, and dental health with the children.