Knowledge of adolescents about health services: Implications of an educational game for health education

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze schoolchildren’s knowledge of health and social assistance services and the effects of a health education game on knowledge multiplication. This was a cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach and included students in the final years of 20 public schools. To assess knowledge and access to services, a questionnaire was administered before and after playing ‘Caminhos do SUS’. Among the 262 responses, the hospital was the most known (96.56%) and the most frequented (88.17%), followed by the Emergency Care Unit, known by 90.46% and frequented by 62.21%. In contrast, the Specialized Reference Center for Social Assistance was the least known (10.69%), followed by the Child and Adolescent Psychosocial Care Center (12.60%). After the game, students reported learning about these two services, with post-game knowledge increasing to 46.18% and 45.80%, respectively. Only half knew about the Basic Health Unit, and 37.02% had already visited it. Most adolescents were more familiar with tertiary care services, while basic, psychosocial, and social assistance services were less recognized and attended. In summary, ‘Caminhos do SUS’ was effective in promoting knowledge about the Unified Health System and the Unified Social Assistance System, serving as a device for developing autonomy and multiplying health knowledge.