EDUCAÇÃO EM SAÚDE NO PROGRAMA SAÚDE NA ESCOLA: PREVENÇÃO DO TABAGISMO ENTRE ADOLESCENTES EM UMA ESCOLA RURAL

Abstract

Smoking among adolescents remains an important public health problem, especially in the context of the growing popularity of electronic smoking devices. This study aimed to report the experience of undergraduate Nursing students in carrying out an educational action on the prevention of tobacco use, electronic cigarettes, and hookah in a rural school in the interior of the state of São Paulo, within the scope of the School Health Program. This is a descriptive study, of the experience report type, based on a narrative literature review (2021–2026) and the implementation of an educational intervention with approximately 100 high school students. The activity was developed through an expository-dialogic lecture, use of visual resources, an informational leaflet, and an interactive “Myths and Truths” activity. At the end, an evaluation questionnaire was applied. The results showed high acceptance of the activity, with a predominance of “very good” evaluations regarding the topic, clarity, and organization. It was observed that 55.2% of adolescents had already tried some tobacco-derived product, although only 4.5% were current users. In addition, 25.4% lived with smokers in the family environment. The experience demonstrated that participatory educational strategies promote adolescent engagement and contribute to tobacco use prevention. It is concluded that health education actions in the school environment are essential for health promotion and the development of healthy habits.