Comprehension of Representations and Health Education Practices from Users and Professionals of the Family Health Strategy

Objective: To understand the representations and health education practices between users and ESF team. Material and Methods: Cross-sectional study in which a target population composed of 416 competition student athletes aged between 10 and 20 years of both genders, basketball (n=100), handball (n=60), soccer (n=96), Semi-structured quantitative and qualitative research focused on interview techniques with the theory of Social Representations as a benchmark for analysis and participant observation. Seventy-five subjects participated in four groups: a) Higher-education professionals, five nurses, three doctors and one dentist; b) eight professionals with technical training in nursing and dental health; c) ten community health workers; d) forty-eight users of ESF units. Data were analyzed using content analysis, whose categories were retrospectively established. Results: "Education" as well social value, cultural to be preserved in the family; "Health" as individual self-care; "Health education" as transmission, prescription of body care. Conclusion: The principles of popular health education can support redefinition processes of the practices analyzed.