Health in school: an examination of the reference documents for the forty years of compulsory health programs, 1971-2011

• Published in: História, ciências, saúde--Manguinhos Vol. 22; no. 2; pp. 411 - 428
• Main Authors: Monteiro, Paulo Henrique Nico, Bizzo, Nelio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Portuguese
• Published: Brazil 01.01.2015
• Subjects: Brazil; Curriculum; Guidelines as Topic; Health Education - history; Health Education - standards; History of medicine and histology; History, 20th Century; Schools - history
• ISSN: 1678-4758
• DOI: 10.1590/S0104-59702014005000028

Health is a traditional subject in Brazilian school curriculums, and is evident in teaching materials since the end of the nineteenth century. Taking as its starting point the establishment of compulsory development of health programs in 1971, this article aims to examine certain official documents which sought to set out guidelines for health education in schools, as regards the actual conception of health, the objectives to be achieved, and the role of health studies in the general education of pupils. The analysis highlights an important lack of reference points for regulating health education in schools, and points out ideas which have remained unaltered, despite the social changes and theoretical advances that have occurred during the period.