Skills of endemic disease control agents in the technical training of the Health with Agent Program: a descriptive...

To describe the knowledge and self-perceived skills of endemic disease control agents before the specific technical training of the Health with Agent Program (PSA).

Descriptive study using data from students of the Health with Agent Program, collected through a self-administered online questionnaire. The instrument included sociodemographic characterization and self-perception of skills in four domains: (a) education, planning, and actions within the community, (b) environmental surveillance, (c) epidemiological surveillance, and (d) health surveillance and two dimensions: (1) needs recognition and action planning, and (2) execution, with responses on a Likert scale. Data were analyzed using R statistical software (version 4.4.1) and presented as absolute and relative frequencies.

The sample included 3,730 endemic disease control agents, of whom 51.8% were women, 67.0% were Black, 49.7% had completed high school, and 67.9% had direct formal affiliation with the municipality. Of the total, 90.6% worked in urban areas, and 39.7% were from the Northeast region. Self-perceived competence ranged from 47.0% to 94.0%. The highest self-perceived proficiencies were observed in educational activities on endemic disease prevention (90.3%), pesticide application (90.5%), and vector control (94.0%). The lowest levels were observed in environmental surveillance, particularly regarding damage from climate events and the utilization of organic waste, with more than 50.0% of participants reporting that they did not know how to perform the tasks, had limited knowledge, or had doubts.

The results indicate that, although endemic disease control agents perceive themselves as competent in traditional endemic control initiatives, there are gaps in emerging areas such as environmental surveillance.