HEALTH EDUCATION FOR PREGNANT WOMEN IN THE FAMILY HEALTH STRATEGY: CHALLENGES AND POSSIBILITIES

desafios e possibilidades

Abstract

Introduction. Health Education with pregnant women proposes the incorporation of new practices within the scope of Primary Health Care, with possibilities of promoting health and preventing diseases, as well as guaranteeing the exercise of practices and knowledge alternative to the biomedical model, evoking critical reflections and the sharing of experiences through the pregnant women. Objective. This study aimed to analyze the Health Education activities directed to pregnant women in the Family Health Strategy teams. Methodology. This is a qualitative study, developed in Basic Health Units in the municipality of Mossoró/RN, which gathered narratives from 15 users through semi-structured interviews. Results. After using the Thematic Content Analysis, the results were separated into two main categories and five subcategories. The first category assessed the Health Education actions, characterized by being sporadic (or non-existent in some services) and by the alternation between vertical and horizontal teaching methodologies. On the other hand, the second category evoked the meaning of the meetings between pregnant women and health professionals, marked by weaknesses in qualified listening, dialogue and realization of educational actions during prenatal care. Conclusion. According to the pregnant women's speeches, we realize that teaching strategies, when based on Paulo Freire's precepts, are closely linked to health promotion. This is because it guarantees to pregnant women a critical consciousness about their self-care, which is the first initiative for changes in their living habits and in the way they face the circumstances inherent to pregnancy.