6.Y.2. PechaKucha: Gamifying Health: Board Games as a Strategy to Train Health Teams and Engage Adolescents in Slums

Abstract Background Improving adolescent access to primary care services in vulnerable areas remains a critical challenge in Brazil. The Chega Junto Project was implemented in Paraisópolis - the third largest slum in Brazil - with the goal of strengthening professional skills and promoting adolescent-centered care in four primary health care centers. Objectives To present the experience of co-developing and implementing five educational board games as a strategy to both train primary care professionals and engage adolescents around key health topics, fostering stronger ties between youth and health services. Roundtable Focus: This session will showcase five original board games created through participatory processes involving multiprofessional teams and adolescents. Each game addresses a specific health theme relevant to the adolescent population in Paraisópolis. Attendees will explore the games firsthand, reflect on their potential to support training and engagement, and discuss the process of collaborative development.Game Descriptions: Paraizópolis (Cooperative Game) Focus: Vaccination and misinformation. Players work together to protect the community from the “Monster of Misinformation,” navigating a board that maps real features of Paraisópolis. The game emphasizes teamwork and prevention strategies. Insano (Cooperative Game) Focus: Mental health and common mental disorders. Players must strengthen protective factors-such as physical activity, spirituality, and social bonds-while navigating real-life stressors. The goal is to reduce the intensity of symptoms and support each other. Caminhos (Competitive Game) Focus: Access to health services. Players face day-to-day health needs and receive cards with different service options (e.g., UBS, UPA, CAPS). Strategic dilemmas and real-world challenges highlight gaps and promote dialogue about the health network. Sonhos (Competitive Game) Focus: Life goals and future planning. Each player adopts a character and strives to assemble a winning hand of life aspirations (e.g., family, study, fun, money). Players trade cards and face unexpected events, reflecting the tension between dreams and context. Infecção (Cooperative Game) Focus: Infectious diseases, including STIs. Players represent internal organs under attack and must cooperate to avoid system failure and septic shock. They earn “points” through vaccines, SUS support, and treatments to overcome infections and survive. Conclusions These games supported both continuing education and adolescent engagement. They allowed professionals to reflect on sensitive topics while providing a playful and culturally relevant entry point for young people. Co-creation fostered empathy, mutual understanding, and locally grounded solutions. By integrating gamification into PHC training and service delivery, the Chega Junto Project advanced health promotion, youth-centered communication, and the creation of safe spaces for care in territories of vulnerability. Key messages • Gamification supports training and helps address sensitive health topics with adolescents in a playful, accessible, and impactful way. • Co-creating games with youth and teams fosters engagement, empathy, and stronger connections between adolescents and health services.