The Impact of Continuing Education on Strengthening Environmental Health Surveillance in the State of Bahia, Brazil
1
Postgraduate Program in Ecology: Theory, Application and Values, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Brazil
2
Environmental Health Surveillance Coordination, Government of the State of Bahia, Salvador, Brazil
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):
ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT:
The regionalization of Brazil’s Unified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde – SUS) is a key strategy to ensure decentralization, equity, and comprehensive health care1,2. The state of Bahia comprises 417 municipalities and is administratively organized into nine Health Macroregions, which function as operational units for implementing Environmental Health Surveillance (EHS) actions, in line with targets established by the State Health Plan and the Ministry of Health for the 2024–2027 period. These targets include the implementation of continuing education processes in health surveillance across all macroregions and ensuring that at least 60% of municipalities carry out a minimum of three EHS actions per four-month period3,4,5. This study analyzes continuing education as a strategic tool for strengthening EHS in Bahia, based on results from the three four-month periods of 2025. In the first period, continuing education initiatives reached 44.44% of the macroregions, while only 106 municipalities (25.43%) implemented the minimum number of EHS actions. Training activities focused primarily on drinking water quality surveillance and monitoring populations exposed to chemical contaminants. In the second period, coverage expanded to 100% of the macroregions, and the number of active municipalities increased to 116 (27.80%), a growth directly associated with previous capacity-building efforts. Full macroregional coverage was maintained in the third period, highlighting the relevance of institutional and matrix support provided through training initiatives. During this phase, the number of municipalities conducting three or more EHS actions increased to 147 (35%), consolidating a sustained upward trend. The findings demonstrate that continuing education plays a critical role in professional qualification and institutional strengthening at the municipal level. The integration of regionalization, continuing education, and EHS enhances operational capacity, promotes equitable access to surveillance policies, and represents a strategic approach to addressing climate change–related health impacts6,7,8.
The regionalization of Brazil’s Unified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde – SUS) is a key strategy to ensure decentralization, equity, and comprehensive health care1,2. The state of Bahia comprises 417 municipalities and is administratively organized into nine Health Macroregions, which function as operational units for implementing Environmental Health Surveillance (EHS) actions, in line with targets established by the State Health Plan and the Ministry of Health for the 2024–2027 period. These targets include the implementation of continuing education processes in health surveillance across all macroregions and ensuring that at least 60% of municipalities carry out a minimum of three EHS actions per four-month period3,4,5. This study analyzes continuing education as a strategic tool for strengthening EHS in Bahia, based on results from the three four-month periods of 2025. In the first period, continuing education initiatives reached 44.44% of the macroregions, while only 106 municipalities (25.43%) implemented the minimum number of EHS actions. Training activities focused primarily on drinking water quality surveillance and monitoring populations exposed to chemical contaminants. In the second period, coverage expanded to 100% of the macroregions, and the number of active municipalities increased to 116 (27.80%), a growth directly associated with previous capacity-building efforts. Full macroregional coverage was maintained in the third period, highlighting the relevance of institutional and matrix support provided through training initiatives. During this phase, the number of municipalities conducting three or more EHS actions increased to 147 (35%), consolidating a sustained upward trend. The findings demonstrate that continuing education plays a critical role in professional qualification and institutional strengthening at the municipal level. The integration of regionalization, continuing education, and EHS enhances operational capacity, promotes equitable access to surveillance policies, and represents a strategic approach to addressing climate change–related health impacts6,7,8.
| 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.
