Ninety-five second-year medical students and teachers from River Plate Adventist University (Universidad Adventista del Plata, UAP) have completed the first phase of a new public health initiative in the town of Cerrito, Entre Ríos, Argentina. As part of a redesigned Public Health course, the group carried out community-based health activities and collected data on the most prevalent local diseases.

The project is being implemented in partnership with the Municipality of Cerrito under cooperation agreements that, for more than two years, have enabled UAP to offer free academic outreach and services to the community.

Raúl Schneider, a professor at UAP, who participated alongside medical students in the analysis of the health situation in Cerrito, explained how they organized the fieldwork.

"In the city, we divided ourselves into ten zones. Then, between nine and ten students went to different houses to conduct surveys with those who were willing to participate. In total, three hundred and fifty-five samples were collected," he explained.

In this first stage, students visited households to gather information on health habits and risk factors in order to identify the most common conditions in the area. They also conducted 20 surveys with local healthcare professionals to complement the community data.

Over the next two years, once the most prevalent diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes, are confirmed, third- and fourth-year medical students will design targeted interventions. These may include preventive health talks, physical activity initiatives, and structured follow-up with individuals already diagnosed with chronic conditions.

When the students reach their fifth year, they will compare the data collected in this initial phase with new findings gathered three years later to evaluate the impact of the interventions on the identified conditions.

Learning beyond the classroom

Schneider emphasized that projects like this extend learning well beyond textbooks and lectures.

"The students said they greatly enjoyed this experience of interaction with people, listening to their health concerns," he emphasized.

Highlighting that an estimated 70 percent of diseases are preventable, he stressed the role of public health training in the medical curriculum. "Considering our beliefs about healthy habits, in our classes we always emphasize the importance of trying to prevent and identify illnesses before resorting to treatment," he noted.

This is not the first time UAP’s Faculty of Health Sciences has worked in Cerrito. In 2003, the Medicine program, through its Gynecology and Pathology departments, supported a comprehensive women’s health campaign at the “José María Miranda” Hospital. That collaboration led to the current cooperation agreement with the municipality.

According to Dr. Schneider, this long-standing relationship has built trust and smoothed the way for the new project.

“Previous interventions have strengthened the University’s reputation in Cerrito and demonstrated the value of working together with students. That made it easier to access homes. It also helps that residents know students will continue providing follow-up support, which makes the work sustainable,” he said.

The original article was published on the South American Division Spanish news site.