Análise do conhecimento de alunos de nível superior sobre as principais parasitoses locais

Abstract

Parasitic diseases constitute a serious public health problem in Brazil. Housing conditions with poor basic sanitation conditions on the outskirts of large cities associated with the poor hygiene of the population led to a significant increase in the number of cases of diseases with parasitic etiology. Parasitism is a form of inharmonious and inter-specific ecological association between organisms of different species in which the parasite takes away from its host much of the energy it needs to perform its biological functions and complete its life cycle. The parasites can be of different groups of organisms and they are scattered in different ecological niches according to their specific characteristics. Dengue, toxoplasmosis, teniasis and cysticercosis are diseases that affect a large number of people, and can be prevented when the main aspects of each disease are known, as well as their prevention. In this sense, health education strategies represent an alternative control for these diseases, since only with the dissemination of information will it be possible to sensitize people about the importance of adopting prophylactic measures that reduce the incidence of these diseases. This study aimed to identify the level of knowledge of two hundred students enrolled in undergraduate of the Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná - câmpus Dois Vizinhos on parasitic diseases, through a structured questionnaire with twelve questions addressing: dengue, toxoplasmosis, teniasis and cysticercosis. Dengue was the disease that presented results more pertinent to the objective of the research, since it is a serious health problem in which the population is more familiar with its aspects. The other diseases are known by the students, but superficially and with failures in the comprehension of their real dimensions. It is necessary to adopt actions aimed at the area of health education at different levels of education, and for the general population emphasizing the promotion of preventive actions that favor health conditions while being able to reduce the occurrence of these diseases.