Culture Circle as a Teaching Approach in the Education of Teenager Health Multipliers on Leprosy Awareness

Abstract

Objective: The study aims to evaluate the use of a teaching method proposed by Paulo Freire, Culture Circles, in the education of teenagers multipliers on leprosy awareness. Methods: It is an action-research study with a qualitative approach developed in a public school in Pernambuco, Brazil. Five Culture Circles were conducted involving the participation of 26 teenagers. The followings were used as data collection tools: observation, field notes, photography and filming. Results: The educational intervention on health addressed the following topics: 1) Definition and transmission of leprosy; 2) Characteristics and diagnosis of leprosy; 3) Treatment of leprosy; 4) Aesthetics, prejudice and mental health related to leprosy; and 5) Planning of educational activities for teenagers as health multipliers on leprosy awareness. The educational action on health provided this age group to perceive themselves, act as political subjects in the development of Culture Circles, and act as protagonists in the dissemination of knowledge on leprosy. Conclusions: This study highlights that the application of active methodologies, such as Culture Circles, is able to encourage the engagement of young people in community empowerment and bring together health professionals and the school community in an intersectoral work in order to develop action strategies involving the promotion of health in the context of neglected diseases such as leprosy.