Cellular understanding of the effects of physical activity in diabetes: analysis of didactic strategy applied to high school students/COMPREENSAO CELULAR DOS EFEITOS DO EXERCICIO FISICO NA CONDICAO DE DIABETE: ANALISE DE ESTRATEGIA DIDATICA APLICADA A JOVENS DO ENSINO MEDIO

Glucose is the primary energy molecule in the human body, internalized by adipocytes and myocytes through GLUT4 carriers expressed in the plasma membrane through insulin action. In diabetes, insulin absence or dysfunctionality leads to hyperglycemia. This clinical state has been on the rise worldwide among the youth. Physical activities are considered an ally in controlling diabetes, due to it stimulating insulin-independent GLUT4 translocation to the cell membrane. This paper proposes an educational activity to allow comprehension of the effects of exercise in adjusting the glucose levels in the blood. Questionnaires were apllied, pre and post dynamics, to 16 students of a public High School institution in Campo Grande, MS, Brazil. The dynamic was composed by a ludic sequence of models about the exercise-mediated glucose intake. Results: Before the activity, the students had little to no knowledge about glicemic homeostase and the importance of physical activity for it, though recognized the importance of insulin for glucose absorption. After the dynamic, however, 81,25% of the students understood that GLUT4 acts heightening intracellular glucose and 68,8% understood that physical exercise favors GLUT4 translocation to the plasmatic membrane. Conclusion: The activity seems to promote the subjects' knowledge about glucose regulation and allows conscientization of the physical activity in diabetes treatment. Key words: Insulin resistance. Material education. Health. Prevention. A glicose e a principal molecula energetica do corpo humano, sendo internalizada por adipocitos e miocitos por transportadores GLUT4 presentes na citomembrana mediante acao de insulina. No diabetes, a ausencia ou disfuncionalidade da insulina causa hiperglicemia. Esse quadro tem aumentado mundialmente entre os adolescentes. Aliado no controle do diabetes, o exercicio fisico estimula translocamento de GLUT4, independentemente da insulina, para a membrana plasmatica. Este trabalho propos uma dinamica que permitisse a compreensao da atividade fisica na melhora dos niveis glicemicos. Aplicou-se questionarios, pre e pos dinamica, a 16 alunos do Ensino Medio de escola estadual de Campo Grande, MS. A dinamica continha sequencia ludica com modelos da captacao da glicose mediada pela atividade fisica. Resultados: Antes da dinamica, os alunos pouco conheciam sobre a importancia do exercicio fisico sobre a homeostasia glicemica, mas reconheciam a importancia da insulina para a absorcao da glico