Theory and practice of promotion of health: the conceptions of the communitarian health agents

DOI: 10.15343/0104-7809.20112137144

Abstract

The insertion of Communitarian Health Agents (ACS) in the Strategy Health of the Family brought many expectations about
the possibilities and limits of the actions this professional could realize. The aim of this article is to analyze the actions and conceptions
of the referring ACS to the Promotion of the Health, as well as the degree of its communitarian contribution for or empowerment in
the prospect of the exercise of citizenship. For such, we developed a case study. The study setting was a Unit of Health located in the
central region of the municipality of Sao Paulo; 10 ACS have been subjects. Data were collected by means of the technique of focal
group. The discussions derived from the analyzed groups have been transcribed according to the technique of Speech of the Collective
Subject. The results have shown that ACS works from a biologicist perspective as regards informing the population. We found it possible
for that professional to communicate with the families of their micro-area. The conclusion is that these professionals, when enabled on
the basis of conceptions of Promotion of Health, will be able to be powerful agents of construction of citizenship by the population by
enabling these groups to recognize their needs of health and to identify effective public policies for the attention of those needs.