Promoção da saúde e a relação entre escola e comunidade: potencialidades para a transformação social

Abstract

The object of this study is the school as a space for health promotion, considering the different social actors that compose it as well as the propensity of this scenario to the formation of subjects-citizens. In order for the school to be effectively a health promoter, it is necessary that the existing initiatives in it culminate in the promotion of competencies in health promotion. In this sense, the objective of the study was to analyze the promotion of health at school in its relationship with the school community and its surroundings, identifying potential for social transformation. Specifically, it was proposed to analyze the actions of health promotion developed by the school, with the community and its partners; identify in the relationship between school, community, partners potentialities for social transformation and discuss the development of competencies for health promotion. It is a qualitative research, anchored in the theoretical framework of Historical and Dialectical Materialism, with a methodological approach of case study. It was held in two schools in the city of João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil. School and student professionals participated; professionals from the Basic Health Unit, representatives of a socio-educational network working in the neighborhood and representatives of the community. Data were obtained from observations that occurred in visits to schools and other community spaces and interviews with participants. For analysis of the empirical material, we used the Speech-oriented Discourse Analysis, in the Norman Fairclough proposal. The results indicate that health actions at school have a predominant focus on behavior change with few initiatives that point to the problematization of social determinants and the formation of children and youth protagonism. The actions of health promotion in school and in the territory, when carried out in partnership, mobilized a reflexive and creative praxis with the existence of a higher degree of awareness and reflection of those involved in the planning and implementation of actions, in the approximation with the social determinants of the health-illness process. On the other hand, when they dealt with health issues only in the logic of the biological-clinician, they were carried out only by the school and revealed the repetitive and spontaneous praxis. Thus, in isolation, the school reproduces hegemonies; articulated to the Network, the school is an important space for discussion and action on social determinants and health promotion, ratifying intersectoriality as a strategy. It is concluded that the actions carried out by the school in the relationship with the community and the partners, mediated by the intersectoriality, in a reflexive and creative praxis, propitiate the development of domains of competences for the promotion of health, especially Mediation through partnership and Production of changes. These actions enable moments of meetings and dialogues, criticality against reality and commitments in the elaboration of proposals for solution of problems, that are oriented towards the formation of leaderships, participation, among other principles, favoring the social transformation and the promotion of health.