Duplamente negligenciada: como a tuberculose é abordada nos livros didáticos do ensino médio

Abstract

Tuberculosis is one of the oldest diseases of humanity and is still a worrying disease in our society, namely neglected by the public education system and by society. The educational system can act as agents in combating and preventing diseases, such as neglected ones, promoting knowledge about them through classes or didactic material. The textbook plays a fundamental role in teaching both for the student and for the teacher and can be an important tool for promoting teaching on public health. In this sense, this study aims to understand how the textbooks of public and private schools address the content of tuberculosis and whether there is a difference in the approach in the different educational systems. Secondary school biology textbooks from six schools (three public and three private) in the municipality of União dos Palmares (Alagoas) were collected and analyzed qualitatively, seeking to identify whether and how content related to tuberculosis is addressed. Of the 46 books collected (32 from private schools and 14 from public schools), six (five from private schools and one from public schools) had content on tuberculosis. The content on tuberculosis is presented in a simplified way in all books, but the only one in the public network is the one with more information about the disease. The private education network was more effective with regard to the presence of tuberculosis content, as at least one of the books from the three schools addressed the subject, while only one book used in a public school presented this content. Faced with the results, it is clear the importance of the teacher in the teaching and learning process of subjects beyond the textbook and the importance of greater care in the elaboration of contents on public health, aiming to meet the needs of society, such as the fight against neglected diseases that mainly affect the poorest populations.