Necessidades de saúde de homens usuários de uma unidade básica de saúde em Belo Horizonte

Abstract

In the last two decades, research and social movements discuss the agenda for men's health, raising contradictions inherent to health practices and men's health and disease processes in many aspects. An wealth of knowledge and discussion has been created in order to allow changes to achieve wider recognition of men's health needs in the formulation of policies and programs of public health. Thus, this research aims at analyzing the health needs of men, users of a public Basic Health Unit (BHU) in Brazil. This is an exploratory study with a qualitative approach performed at a BHU in which four teams of Family Medicine work, in the North district of the city of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. The study subjects were 27 adult men aged between 20 and 59 years residents in the area covered by this service, who needed it for any reason. Individual interviews were also held with the subjects from a semi-structured interview guide. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and subjected to content analysis using healthcare needs as a category of analysis. We identified three categories: a) the centrality of work in determining health needs; b) reception and bonds: the main value of professional practices in Primary Health Care (PHC); c) men's alienation and masculinity to practices regarding health technologies: limits of autonomy and of self-care. However, for men to be socially recognized as subjects of healthcare and health needs, it is critical that this change begins in their singularity from the active dimension of individuals. The results revealed that for men to act in pursuit of meeting their healthcare needs, they must overcome inherent contradictions from the social aspect and social roles they have. In relation to health services, especially those developed in UBS, the main value of professional practices are mediated by creation of interpersonal bonds and capacity of health professionals to receive, recognize and satisfy needs. A professional and welcoming attitude towards users is important as a professional practice in Primary Health Care. Masculinity and the barriers that separate men from care practices, including those built on Primary Health Care, impose conditions that must be overcome to enable them to develop their radical health needs from the self-care experience. Thus, education in healthcare experiences mediated by the relation between the professional and the user at PHC have the potential to enable men to recognize their health needs and care as individuals. However, for men to be socially recognized as subjects of care and health needs, it is critical that this change begins from the uniqueness of transformations involving the reconstruction of masculinity of the subjects and their health needs.