POPULAR EDUCATION IN HEALTH WITH GROUPS OF DIABETIC ELDERLY IN THE FAMILY HEALTH STRATEGY: AN ACTION-RESEARCH

Abstract

Introduction: Popular Health Education (EPS) refers to individuals and groups to exchange knowledge and experiences, allowing them to associate health to the outcomes of their living conditions. Objective: To know and promote educational actions with patients with diabetes Mellitus (DM); Perform training workshops in EPS with health workers; To know and develop participatory educative actions with diabetic groups; and evaluate the results of the actions performed for workers and users, in a family health unit in Natal/RN. Methods: This is an action research with the theoretical framework of liberating education theory, centered on problematizing pedagogy. Thirty health workers and 36 diabetic users participated in the study. The actions were organized through conversation wheels, group dynamics, life narratives, reports of experiences, and explication of knowledge, desires, limitations, beliefs and socially constructed values. Data collection was performed through the free word association technique, semi-structured interview and focal group. The empirical material was subjected to occurrence analysis (Bardin) with the aid of the Iramuteq program (Ratinaud; Marchand). Results: The data analyses originated words, expressions, categories, themes and creative situations showing that EPS is in process of construction, but still very incipient in primary care. words, expressions and categories were generated from the themes addressed and creative situations showing that the EPS has been incorporated timidly in the educational process of the subjects of this study and far from the principles of participation, organization of a political work, expansion of the spaces of dialogue, respect, solidarity and tolerance among the various actors involved in coping with health problems, fundamental for the improvement in the construction of Healthy practices of primary care. Conclusions: The use of active teaching-learning practices, centered on the amplification of listening and in training on EPS, may enable changes in the scenario where users and health workers act with diabetes mellitus.