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USP course aimed at public education servers offers online training in nutrition, health, and public policies, with 10,000 spots and classes scheduled between May and August. The proposal brings together topics such as diabetes, obesity, food culture, and school programs.
The School of Public Health at the University of São Paulo has opened 10,000 spots for the Food Education Program – Integrating Science, School, and Health, the PEDUCA, with classes entirely online and a total workload of 110 hours.
Enrollment is open until April 15, 2026, while the course will take place between May 1 and August 31, 2026, in the virtual environment of USP.
The training is aimed at employees of the São Paulo State Department of Education and municipal education departments of São Paulo cities, the target audience of the initiative.
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The offer is linked to the School of Public Health and integrates a program focused on bridging scientific knowledge, schools, and health promotion.
Although the course focuses on nutrition and health, the announced structure goes beyond basic nutrition concepts and includes content that relates to everyday school life.
The program covers everything from the history of food and eating practices over time to topics associated with the prevention of chronic diseases and the development of pedagogical actions in the classroom.
Free USP course connects nutrition, school, and public health
The PEDUCA was designed to treat nutrition as a cross-cutting theme in the educational environment, connecting public health, food culture, and public policies.
In practice, the proposal is to provide resources for education professionals to understand the role of proper nutrition in the school routine and in the development of health promotion strategies.
In this scope, the course includes modules on history of food, nutrition and culture, food production chain, and Food Guide for the Brazilian Population, as well as content that relates eating habits, territory, and social transformations.
The idea is to address the topic in a broad way, without limiting the discussion to nutrient consumption or the school menu.
Topics more directly related to the prevention of health issues, such as diabetes, obesity, systemic arterial hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases, are also included in the curriculum.
Instead of an isolated approach, the training combines conceptual foundations with prevention strategies, which enhances the usefulness of the content for professionals working in schools and public networks.
PEDUCA curriculum includes diabetes, obesity, and educational policies
Among the topics announced for the 2026 edition are components on macro and micronutrients, the influence of marketing on food choices, critical reading of packaging, and food and nutritional safety.
Additionally, there are classes discussing child nutrition, promoting healthy habits in the school environment, and experiences aligned with the National Common Curricular Base, the BNCC.
The announced program also mentions reflections on food autobiography, demographic, epidemiological, and nutritional transition, and the collaboration between nutritionists and educators.
This set suggests training designed for professionals who need to translate technical knowledge into practices applicable to the pedagogical routine, without losing sight of the social context in which the school is situated.
Another relevant axis involves policies and public programs related to the nutrition and health of students.
The curriculum mentions topics such as National School Feeding Program, Health in School Program, and National School Health Survey, reinforcing the intersectoral nature of the course and the dialogue between education, assistance, and health.
Teachers and specialists lead the online course modules
According to the announcement, the classes will be taught by Ana Paula de Queiroz Mello, Nágila Raquel Teixeira Damasceno, and Livia Alvarenga.
The content is distributed over the 110 hours, with specific loads for each topic, ranging from five-hour modules to shorter units focused on thematic cuts of the training.
In the section led by Ana Paula de Queiroz Mello, content related to the history of food, food culture, eating practices over time, and the use of the Food Guide as a reflection tool appears.
The block assigned to Nágila Raquel Teixeira Damasceno focuses on topics related to obesity, hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and fundamentals about nutrients.
Meanwhile, the programming associated with Livia Alvarenga includes discussions on food marketing, packaging, food safety, and promoting healthy eating in schools.
This same axis includes topics related to childhood, the school environment, and public programs that integrate educational and health agendas.
Distance education expands access for public education networks
The offer of 10,000 spots indicates a commitment to large-scale training for public network professionals, especially in a field that has gained weight in discussions about learning, well-being, and disease prevention.
By directing the course to state and municipal employees, the initiative creates conditions for the content to circulate within schools and reach pedagogical teams, managers, and educators.
Moreover, the distance learning format tends to facilitate the participation of professionals from different cities in the state, without the need for travel.
The Apolo system page itself informs that the course will be conducted on Moodle USP, which concentrates activities on a digital platform and allows for a more flexible organization of study routines.
This combination of scale, remote learning, and specific thematic focus helps explain the interest surrounding the training.
In previous years, the program was also promoted by USP and channels related to the training of education professionals, indicating the institutional continuity of the proposal and its insertion in the field of university extension.
How to enroll in the free online course at USP
Enrollment for the course selection remains open until April 15, 2026 and must be done through the course page on the Apolo system of USP.
On the platform, the candidate will find information about the offer, including the class period, distance learning format, number of spots, and instructions for the enrollment procedure.
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