Intoxicação por plantas em Alagoas: investigação popularização da ciência por meio da educação em saúde nas mídias sociais

Abstract

Plants are characterized by producing metabolites that can trigger toxicity to other living organisms, causing common symptoms: nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, as well as severe symptoms and even death. The objective of this work was to carry out a survey about plant poisonings in Brazil and Alagoas in the Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação (SINAN) and publicize them, within the scope of health education, in social media. The research methodology followed the Arch of Maguerez model (research, theorization, intervention). In the period from 2012 to 2022, 9278 cases of exogenous poisoning by plants were registered in Brazil, 2231 in the northeast region alone and 387 in the state of Alagoas, with the highest number of cases among adults aged 20 to 39 years and children between 0 and 4 years. Within the scope of scientific dissemination, research was carried out on which plants are prevalent in Alagoas and through the social media of the Centro de Informações Toxicológicas da UFAL (CITox) information about them was popularized, aiming to prevent notifiable injuries, which are exogenous intoxications. The interaction with CITox’s social media followers was relevant in terms of signaling the importance of popularizing science to promote people's health.