Nursing and environmental health:

A pedagogical practice grounded in critical praxis andthe social determination of health

Abstract

Objective: to describe and analyze the implementation of a critical praxis–based educational
strategy, highlighting how Nursing students interpreted the social determination of health in
Amazonian territories and developed interventions within the scope of Primary Health Care.
Experience Description: This experience report was conducted within a Public Health course
in an undergraduate Nursing program at a federal university in Northern Brazil. The activity
involved 40 students organized into nine groups and was carried out between August 2025 and
January 2026. The systematization was based on the final seminar minutes and a guidance
document structured around the following components: territorial characterization, issue tree
development, objective setting, intervention prototyping, and the descriptive record of the final
seminar. The analysis adopted a reflective-interpretive approach and was guided by critical
praxis and the theoretical framework of the social determination of health in PHC, focusing
on territories in the Amazon region of Pará and their socio-environmental relationships.
Results: Critical syntheses were produced that articulated socio-environmental processes, living
conditions, and barriers to access. The proposed interventions prioritized territorially grounded
surveillance, situated health education, the use of low-cost social technologies, and intersectoral
collaboration. Final Considerations: The educational strategy facilitated the pedagogical
translation of the social determination into critical-operational reasoning, connecting
environmental health, equity, and feasible action within Amazonian territories.