Objective: to guide students of elementary and high-school levels at CED07-Ceilândia/DF on the importance of hygiene practices in favor of preventing against infectious diseases. Method: the study was designed in three distinct phases: application of questionnaires about personal hygiene; lectures and practical workshops on human pathologies; and evaluation of the project by participating students. Results: The results show that 57% of the students share personal items, a considerably high number since the literature points out that there are several pathologies that can be acquired using individual objects. It was also noted that students are not in the habit of removing their shoes before entering their homes. They claimed that they were unaware of the risks of contamination through this behavior, but stated that, after the information provided by the project, they would be more attentive to this home contamination factor. Thus, it is believed that the educational and informational practices on the proposed theme were relevant, as students reported that they learned from the developed activities and were willing to change their behavior regarding hygiene practices. Conclusion: The study also demonstrates that such practices contribute to disease prevention through simple measures, such as better personal hygiene, which is essential for public health, since many serious diseases can have reduced contamination rate only with educational guidelines and correct hygiene practices.
