[Evaluation of school-books content on the subject of vaccines].
OBJECTIVE
Both school-books as well as teachers in elementary education play an important role in the dissemination of concepts on health education. To evaluate the content of the books used for elementary education with regard to their concepts and information on vaccination.


METHODS
A total of 50 schoolbooks in the domains of Sciences and Biology was analyzed to verify their content on vaccination. The work was carried out by two fifth year students of medicine and also by a professor in the area of Pediatrics.


RESULTS
Of the 50 books analyzed, 17 (34%) had no information whatsoever on vaccination. Regarding content, of the 33 books that did have information on vaccines, 19 (57.5%) had incorrect information: errors on the definition of vaccines, errors on the vaccination calendar, absence of content updating, omission of the content and inadequate illustration. Among the errors are: mention of inexistent vaccines (dengue) or in disuse (smallpox), the fallacy that vaccine is a remedy, vaccine indication only for children and association of vaccines with pain and discomfort. Moreover, regarding content, 26 books (78.7%) cited concept/definition of vaccines, 29/33 (87.8%) associated vaccine with prevention of disease, 10/33 (30.3%) cited a basic calendar of vaccination and only 7/33 (21.2%) informed on vaccination in other age brackets other than the pediatric one.


CONCLUSIONS
In spite of the importance of vaccination and notwithstanding the guidelines of MEC (Brazilian Education Ministry), more than half of the books analyzed had some misconception or wrong information on the subject.
Succi
Camila de Menezes
Cde M
Faculdade de Medicina, ABC, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP.
Wickbold
Daniela
D
Succi
Regina Célia de Menezes
RC
D001938:Brazil; D006266:Health Education / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D012574:Schools; D013664:Teaching Materials / Q000592:standards*; D013782:Textbooks as Topic; D014611:Vaccination; D014612:Vaccines
D014612:Vaccines