Growing Up Healthy: Self-Care Among Schoolchildren in a Peruvian Educational Institution; [Creciendo con salud: autocuidado en escolares de una institución educativa en Perú]

Abstract

Objective: The effectiveness of the “Me Cuido” Program in fostering self-care among students at San Pedro Educational Institution – Huánuco in 2022 was determined. Methods: A pre-experimental study was conducted with a single group of 120 sixth-grade primary school students from San Pedro Educational Institution, located in the Huánuco region, Peru. The “Me Cuido” Program was implemented, and self-care practices were assessed using a validated scale as the data collection instrument. The Wilcoxon statistical test was applied for hypothesis testing. Results: The mean self-care score before the program’s implementation was 3.7, increasing to 4.0 afterward, showing significant differences between the pretest and posttest (p≤0.000). Additionally, significant improvements were observed in the dimensions of self-care, including practices related to universal self-care requirements, developmental self-care requirements, and health deviation self-care requirements, all with p≤0.05. Conclusions: The implementation of the “Me Cuido” Program significantly improved the self-care level of sixth-grade students (p≤0.000). Likewise, notable increases were observed in the dimensions of universal self-care, developmental self-care, and self-care in cases of health deviation (all with p≤0.05). © 2025, Editorial Ciencias Medicas. All rights reserved.