Smart Choices: The Game of a Healthy Life, Preventing STIs and Teen Pregnancy

Abstract

The discipline Science, Extension, and Transformation of Health in the Community (CETESC) seeks to develop the capacity of medical students to act as transformative agents, allowing them to create extension projects that integrate students into the social realm. Through active methodologies such as Problem-Based Learning (PBL), health students take on a leading role, developing practical skills by merging theory and practice, applying concepts, and performing integrated actions.

    From this perspective, the extension project “Smart Choices: The Healthy Life Game, Preventing STIs and Teenage Pregnancy” was carried out at the Rene Bayma School Complex in Codó, Maranhão. The choice of this theme arose from discussions among medical students, who assessed how early pregnancy and high rates of STIs have become serious public health issues. They noted that misinformation about sexuality within social circles leads to serious problems and risks for adolescents, extending beyond unintended pregnancies. Issues such as school dropout, family rejection, social prejudice, unsafe abortion, maternal mortality, and premature birth are among the consequences of the aforementioned problems, which the students addressed while considering this region’s high social vulnerability. Therefore, the school complex was prioritized with the aim of guiding and raising awareness among adolescents, providing information about sexual health and the consequences of early pregnancy to a population that is psychosocially more vulnerable.

. Thus, the field experience brought challenges and learnings beyond theory, such as dealing with diverse social and cultural realities. Additionally, this work demonstrated that by employing interactive and participatory methods, students were able to enhance their technical training and interpersonal skills, preparing themselves for future interventions that promote health and social development in the communities where they will act.