Management, assistance and policy challenges for health promotion in the daily practices

Abstract

This study aims at analyzing health promotion policies and their impact on local and district management. It focuses on the daily actions in health promotion in primary healthcare centers. It is a descriptive and exploratory study with a qualitative approach carried out in the municipalities of Belo Horizonte and Contagem, Minas Gerais. Data collection tools included document review and interviews with managers, primary healthcare professionals and users, as well as the following up of health promotion practices recommended by the professionals. Results demonstrate that initiatives for health promotion are incipient and based on conceptions that associate it with the denial of illness. There is a significant gap between definition of policies and the health managers' intentions with regards to health promotion, management practices, care, social participation and services control. Although it is an essential condition for health promotion, intersectional articulation is still incipient and represents a challenge. To conclude, health promotion remains a discontinuous agenda. Strategic intersectional actions that articulate policies, management and professional practices are essential for its implementation.