PINEDA PEREZ, Eloy Jesús. Family-oriented educational strategy for the health promotion in Down´ syndrome children. []. , 29, 4, pp. 301-311. ISSN 0864-2125.

Introduction: Down´ syndrome children show high incidence of associated diseases, so they need integrated care from their birth and their family support. It is then necessary to raise the knowledge among the families of these children, particularly the parents, so that they can effectively protect their children´s health. Objective: to delve into the knowledge of fathers and/or mothers on the most common associated diseases affecting Down´s syndrome children through an educational strategy. Methods: an educational strategy was designed and applied with the ambispective design (pre-test and post-test) about the knowledge and the management of some aspects related to Down´s syndrome children health who attended the special daycare center. The study was divided into three phases: the first included a survey evaluated and endorsed by experts about the different life aspects of the children; the second one comprised workshops given to all fathers and /or mothers and the third one consisted of the administration of the initial survey. Results: twenty two parents participated in the workshops (78.6%), the educational level of parents was high (82.1%). The most frequent illnesses were respiratory infections (100%), allergies (78.6%), immunodeficiency (53.6%) and congenital cardiopathies (46.4%). After the workshops, the knowledge of parents rose significantly (92.9%) and the prospects of the health status improved since they were found in 21 (75%) progenitors. Conclusions: knowledge of fathers and/or mothers on the diseases associated to Down´s syndrome increased after the implementation of the educational strategy.

: Down´s syndrome; health promotion; educational strategy; family.

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