EF+ INTERVENTION PROJECT: PEDAGOGICAL IMPLICATIONS AND LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT HEALTH

ABSTRACT The objective was to verify the impact of “Educação Física+: Praticando Saúde na Escola” intervention on teaching practices and health knowledge of schoolchildren from Canguçu city, southern Brazil. Fifteen schools participated in the study (group 1: schools that joined the intervention in the year of 2011; group 2: schools that joined the intervention in the year of 2012). This study was carried out by two years with 883 schoolchildren and 13 teachers. The schollchildren knowledge of health was improved in the post-intervention (p<0.001), with higher scores in group 1. It was found tendency to increase the level of knowledge according to the number of lesson plans developed by teachers (p<0.001). Of the teachers interviewed (n= 13), most adhered to the activities proposed (n = 8) and perceived positive changes, specially in the students, who questioned more about the subject in the classrom and bring these knowledge to their parents. Almost all teachers who adhered to the intervention did not report difficulties to develop the lessons plans (n=7). It was concluded that a short-term intervention improved the schoolchildren level of knowledge on physical activity and health and presented positive impacts on teachers professional practice.