Exploring educators’ perception of issues involving Planetary Health: A qualitative study in the Brazilian Amazon

Abstract

Background: Planetary Health is a transdisciplinary area that needs to be part of the curriculum of students at all levels of education, starting from basic education with early childhood education. The present work aims to discuss the perceptions of basic education teachers from a riverside school on Planetary Health issues, in addition to knowing the environmental context of communities and/or riverside schools in the Brazilian State of Amazonas. Methods: The data collection was done through semi-structured interviews with rural education teachers from the south of the state of Amazonas. For the data analysis, we opted for the content analysis (Bardin, 2009) with the support of the N-Vivo software - version 1.5. Results: The results indicated the main environmental problems related to anthropogenic actions in the community and school, in which the following questions stood out: garbage disposal in the river, mineral extraction, lack of basic sanitation, and the predominance of ultra-processed foods in school meals. On the other hand, teachers pointed out the great potential of rural schools to promote the consciousness of children and adolescents on Planetary Health themes. Conclusion: Primary school teachers in rural Amazonia are in contact with a rich source for the creation of teaching materials on PH for students, in view of the importance of the inclusion of PH themes in the formative trajectory of children and adolescents in the basic education curriculum. These experiences provide knowledge about the reality of riverside schools, local traditional issues, environmental sustainability, and the changes occurring in ecosystems, especially in the Amazon.

Integração de Conhecimentos de Ensino de Ciências Naturais Para uma Educação em Saúde Planetária: Estudo em uma Comunidade Ribeirinha da Amazônia

“…In Basic School Education, there is a significant audience representing the future (Melo et al, 2022), and it is essential to encourage them to become leaders in planetary actions (Faiesall et al, 2023). This is a positive and strategic step to stimulate changes in the system and to disseminate Planetary Health within communities.…”

Planetary Health Initiatives in Rural Education at a Riverside School in Southern Amazonas, Brazil

“…Sensitization was undoubtedly a powerful tool in this initiative, as students had little knowledge about the local and global environmental impacts that are compromising the future of humanity. Thus, Planetary Health education needs to be associated with life, especially in contexts that are still quite overlooked, such as rural communities and schools [30].…”

Integração de Conhecimentos de Ensino de Ciências Naturais Para uma Educação em Saúde Planetária: Estudo em uma Comunidade Ribeirinha da Amazônia

“…Na Educação Escolar Básica, encontra-se um público com grande representatividade para o futuro (Melo et al, 2022), sendo fundamental encorajá-los para que possam se tornar líderes em ações planetárias (Faiesall et al, 2023), sendo um passo positivo e estratégico para estimular mudanças no sistema e para disseminar a Saúde Planetária nas comunidades. É fundamental que inserir Saúde Planetária em sejam trabalhadas abordagens transdisciplinares com os estudantes para ajudar definir o campo da Saúde Planetária (Tilleczek et al, 2023).…”