Shantala para bebês em acolhimento institucional Revisão da literatura e proposição de um programa de massagem infantil

Abstract

This thesis aimed to propose a Shantala Program for Institutionally Supported Babies aiming at stress reduction and health promotion of this population. The first chapter, of an introductory nature, intended to present a theoretical basis to support and justify the proposition of this Shantala Program. This work resulted in an organized composition of bibliographic references that retrieve historical aspects of the institutionalization of children in Brazil and worldwide, and point out the potential damages of their prolonged and early stay in this specific context. The second chapter presents a systematic literature review study that sought from the available production in CAPES Journals to gather evidence of changes in health indicators, such as pain scales, biochemical stress markers and vital signs in infants who received massage. in contexts of collective care. A first search was carried out with a ten-year cut, between 2005 and 2015. Subsequently, a new survey, guided by the same procedure, was performed and incorporated the publications until 2017 for the purpose of updating the literature. From a total of 18 studies, it was found that the only one performed in day care that specifically used Shantala, a wellknown infant massage technique, occurred in Brazil. The other studies were conducted in a hospital context, especially Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU), but none of them involved institutional childcare services. The third chapter presents a proposal for the Shantala Program for babies that seeks to take into account the conditions that typically characterize this kind of context in the city of Belém-PA, describing its planning, execution and evaluation. Finally, the fourth and final chapter presents a booklet that was produced as instructional material to be used in training activities for educators / carers, including participants in the Shantala Program. This work has shown that it is possible to design a program of systematic application of this technique of infant massage for childcare services based on consistent and current scientific evidence. This intervention can reduce stress and promote the health of children in socially vulnerable situations, such as those in institutional care.