Empowerment: uma alternativa em promoção de saúde

Abstract

The health promotion is a field of knowledge in the history of the public health that is on the boil. In the last 20 years, we have seen exponential growth of this area, which has deeply highlighted the concepts and the public practices in the sector. The aim of this work is to approach the applicability of the empowerment in the health promotion through a brief chronology of the emergence of the health promotion, the description of concepts related to the theme and a non-systematic review of the literature on health promotion and empowerment. Journals, electronic texts and articles, made available online through databases with credibility in academia, served as a source of search. The databases used were Lilacs, SciELO and Medline, accessed through portals Bireme, Google Scholar and Capes. Thus it could be seen that the empowerment is a method in which individuals or a group of people develop potential and skills to improve their quality of life, in other words, through it people gain greater control over decisions and actions that affect their health. This is an effective process, as it helps to have high self-esteem, creates organization, determination, cooperation, integration and autonomy among the group in question, allowing them to handle and overcome the identified problems. Furthermore, one of its focuses is the continuity that is observed in the majority of the interventions. In Brazil, the initiatives aimed at improving the health conditions of specific groups through the development of the empowerment have not been developed continuously. However, for many people, these are the only way to change and transform. Therefore, we are in need of policies and actions in health promotion and also of scientific research that suggests appropriate and suitable strategies to each context. The health promotion actions demand in other sectors, beyond the health sector. Therefore it is necessary coordinated action among all stakeholders: government, social sectors, economic, political, public, private, voluntary organizations and non-governmental organizations, local authorities, industry, media and institutions. Involving individuals, families, communities and health professionals.