Health actions developed in early childhood education schools from the perspective of teachers

Abstract

Objective: To map the health actions developed in Early Childhood Education Schools (ECES) and identify the role of nurses from the perspective of teachers. Methods: Quantitative, observational, and descriptive study, with the application of an online questionnaire to early childhood teachers working in a city in the state of São Paulo, following the snowball method. Results: The sample consisted of 39 participants, where 92.3% were female, and 82.1% had no health training. The most frequent health actions were promoting healthy eating (84.6%) and monitoring vaccination status (82.1%); prevention actions such as accidents and communicable diseases were less developed and corresponded to 35.9% and 33.3%, respectively. Only 5.1% of teachers reported the presence of nurses in the team of health professionals in the ECES, but 94.5% expressed the importance of this professional in the schools. Conclusion: Data analysis showed that there are several health actions developed at the ECES. However, they are not fully implemented, revealing that health professionals need to work in the school environment. From the teachers' point of view, the presence of nurses in the EEI plays a fundamental role.