Health education and food safety in early childhood education: an extension outreach action
1
Ciências Agrárias - Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Estadual de Goiás (UEG), São Luís de Montes Belos, Goiás, Brazil
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A3069
ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT:
Health education is a fundamental strategy for promoting food safety and preventing food- and waterborne diseases, which remain a significant public health concern worldwide, particularly among children¹². According to global estimates, foodborne diseases account for a substantial burden of morbidity and mortality, disproportionately affecting low- and middle-income countries and reinforcing the need for preventive educational interventions from early childhood². In this context, school-based food safety education has been recognized as an effective approach to fostering healthy behaviors and reducing long-term health risks¹. This paper presents an extension outreach experience report conducted in the municipality of São Luís de Montes Belos, located in the state of Goiás, Brazil, a medium-sized municipality with approximately 35,000 inhabitants. The initiative aimed to promote safe food-related practices in eight Municipal Early Childhood Education Centers over a 24-month period (2024–2025). The activities involved 242 children aged 4 to 5 years and eight school food service professionals through on-site visits to the institutions. Children participated in interactive, play-based workshops addressing hand hygiene, food storage, safe consumption practices, proper use and cleaning of personal water bottles, and hygiene of utensils used for food consumption and preparation. Food service professionals took part in sensitization activities, including dialogued presentations and discussions of everyday situations related to food safety, grounded in national sanitary regulations. Throughout the activities, high levels of engagement and active participation were observed among both children and professionals, highlighting the potential of educational actions to strengthen health promotion in the school environment¹. This experience reinforces the relevance of university extension activities as a strategy for integrating universities, schools, and communities, contributing to the dissemination of safe food practices in early childhood education settings and aligning with global efforts to reduce the burden of foodborne diseases².
Health education is a fundamental strategy for promoting food safety and preventing food- and waterborne diseases, which remain a significant public health concern worldwide, particularly among children¹². According to global estimates, foodborne diseases account for a substantial burden of morbidity and mortality, disproportionately affecting low- and middle-income countries and reinforcing the need for preventive educational interventions from early childhood². In this context, school-based food safety education has been recognized as an effective approach to fostering healthy behaviors and reducing long-term health risks¹. This paper presents an extension outreach experience report conducted in the municipality of São Luís de Montes Belos, located in the state of Goiás, Brazil, a medium-sized municipality with approximately 35,000 inhabitants. The initiative aimed to promote safe food-related practices in eight Municipal Early Childhood Education Centers over a 24-month period (2024–2025). The activities involved 242 children aged 4 to 5 years and eight school food service professionals through on-site visits to the institutions. Children participated in interactive, play-based workshops addressing hand hygiene, food storage, safe consumption practices, proper use and cleaning of personal water bottles, and hygiene of utensils used for food consumption and preparation. Food service professionals took part in sensitization activities, including dialogued presentations and discussions of everyday situations related to food safety, grounded in national sanitary regulations. Throughout the activities, high levels of engagement and active participation were observed among both children and professionals, highlighting the potential of educational actions to strengthen health promotion in the school environment¹. This experience reinforces the relevance of university extension activities as a strategy for integrating universities, schools, and communities, contributing to the dissemination of safe food practices in early childhood education settings and aligning with global efforts to reduce the burden of foodborne diseases².
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
We process personal data collected when visiting the website. The function of obtaining information about users and their behavior is carried out by voluntarily entered information in forms and saving cookies in end devices. Data, including cookies, are used to provide services, improve the user experience and to analyze the traffic in accordance with the Privacy policy. Data are also collected and processed by Google Analytics tool (more).
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
