2 research outputs found
Beliefs and traditions related to a child´s first year of life : a study of the Northwest of Portugal
In this paper we propose an approach to investigate, in the North-west of Portugal, the
parents’ behaviour at birth and during the first year of life of their children. We compare
the heritage, specifically the beliefs and traditions, with the changes that resulted from
the recent and deep cultural transformations that have taken place in Portugal in the last
few decades. In parallel, we tried to determine if the parents’ behaviours, based on beliefs
and traditions, can affect the children’s health. We based our investigation on
standardized interviews with 76 mothers of one-year-old children (born between January
and December 2001) who lived in two parishes of Vizela city. This is a territory where
a more traditional way of life prevails than in other territories of the centre and south of
the country, where there is a strong attachment for religious and social values and where
the influence of the ancestral traditions is still alive. The paper concludes that cultural
heritage can have important impact on individual health. Health professionals, who
work in primary care and in hospitals, must be aware of the responsibility they have to
change this scenario.(undefined
Acessibilidade geográfica à atenção primária à saúde em distrito sanitário do município de Salvador, Bahia The geographical accessibility of primary health care in a sanitary district of the municipality Salvador, in the Brazilian State of Bahia
OBJETIVOS: avaliar a acessibilidade geográfica à atenção primária à saúde da população coberta pelos Programa de Agentes Comunitários de Saúde (PACS) e Programa de Saúde da Família (PSF) de um distrito sanitário de Salvador. MÉTODOS: estudo avaliativo transversal. Os dados foram coletados a partir de entrevistas realizadas junto aos profissionais das onze equipes de PACS e PSF. A análise dos dados contemplou duas dimensões: acesso da população e lógica de territorialização. RESULTADOS: o distrito apresentava relevo bastante acidentado e todas as equipes informaram a existência de barreiras geográficas na área, em especial escadarias, morros e ladeiras. Não foi observada diferença significativa na acessibilidade às equipes de PACS e PSF. O processo de territorialização esteve dissociado da concepção de território-processo. Algumas áreas de abrangência das equipes situavam-se em locais afastados das UBS, constituindo-se em importante barreira ao acesso da população. CONCLUSÕES: o processo de implantação da estratégia PACS/PSF no distrito e o modelo de territorialização adotado não atenderam aos princípios que devem nortear a organização da atenção primária à saúde, resultando em restrições na acessibilidade geográfica da população coberta. Recomenda-se que seja realizada uma revisão do desenho atual da territorialização, visando uma melhor adequação às diretrizes do PSF e à promoção de uma maior acessibilidade à atenção primária.<br>OBJECTIVES: to assess the geographical accessibility of primary health care for the population served by the Community Health Agents Program (PACS) and the Family Health Program (PSF) in one sanitary district in the city of Salvador, Brazil. METHODS: a evaluative cross-sectional study was carried out. The data were collected using interviews with health workers from the eleven PACS and PSF teams. Analysis of the data took two factors into account: access of the population and the logic of territorialization. RESULTS: the district has a relatively rugged landscape and all the teams reported the existence of geographical barriers in the area, in particular steps and steep hills. There was no difference in accessibility between the PACS and the PSF. The process of territorialization was unrelated to the concept of territory as a process. Some areas covered by the teams were located some distance from the UBS and this constituted a significant obstacle to access. CONCLUSIONS: the implantation of the PACS/PSF strategy in the district and the model of territorialization were not in line with the principles that should guide primary health care, resulting in geographical restrictions on access for the population served. It is recommended that the current territorial design be reviewed to ensure that it is more line with PSF guidelines and to enable better access to primary care