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Objective: to describe the profile of the consultations carried by the Family Health Support Centers (NASF) in Barreiro District, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Methods: data were collected from patients records from January to July of 2009, totaling 453 consultations related to 179 patients. Results: there was a higher prevalence of women (58.1%), elderlies (38.5%), patients with musculoskeletal (30.7%) and neurological (25.1%) problems. Of all visits, 38.5% were home care based and 31.3% done by a multidisciplinary team. The discharges due to treatment goals achievement occurred in 34.4% of the cases and 45.8% were referred for rehabilitation services or focused groups of the NASF. Conclusion: the profile of the NASF consultations showed that this strategy contributed to promote the continuity of care in rehabilitation and to enhance the interdisciplinary team work within the primary health care scope.

Justificativa e Objetivos: Contrariando as tendências em âmbito mundial, no Brasil há uma tendência de aumento do número de casos de aids, justificando a realização de estudos epidemiológicos locais que forneçam subsídios para o seu enfrentamento. Objetivou-se analisar o perfil epidemiológico da aids, em Contagem, Minas Gerais, no período de 2007 a 2011, apresentando reflexões sobre práticas educativas para sua prevenção e controle. Métodos: Trata-se de um estudo epidemiológico descritivo, de série temporal histórica. Para os 651 novos casos de aids notificados no SINAN, entre 2007 e 2011, foram calculados coeficiente de incidência e taxas médias e realizada análise estratificada por sexo, escolaridade, idade e ano de ocorrência. Resultados: A taxa média anual de incidência de aids e a taxa média anual de óbitos para cada 100.000 habitantes foi de 21,0 e 4,0 casos, respectivamente. A razão de masculinidade (2,16:1) permaneceu significativa (p≤0,05) durante toda a série histórica. Foi verificada a feminilização da doença. Em relação à escolaridade, 11 pessoas (3,7%) eram analfabetos, 162 (54,0%) possuíam até o ensino fundamental, 84 (28,0%) apresentavam até o ensino médio e 43 (14,3%) possuíam até o ensino superior (p≤0,05). Conclusão: No município investigado, a aids apresentou um padrão oscilatório, com aumento do número de casos, relacionado com determinantes sociais. Isso indicou a necessidade de intensificação das ações de prevenção e controle da doença, o que pode ser feito com emprego de abordagens educativas, no âmbito da APS e em instituições de ensino. DESCRITORES: Epidemiologia. Educação em Saúde. Atenção Primária à Saúde. Doenças transmissíveis. Síndrome de Imunodeficiência Adquirida.

The objective of the present paper was to compare accessibility and utilisation of schistosomiasis diagnostic and treatment services in a small village and the surrounding rural area in northern part of the state of Minas Gerais Brazil. The study included 1,228 individuals: 935 central village residents and 293 rural residents of Sao Pedro do Jequitinhonha. Schistosoma mansoni infection rates were significantly higher in the central village than in the rural area during a survey in 2007 (44.3% and 23.5%, respectively) and during the 2002 schistosomiasis case-finding campaign (33.1% and 26.5%, respectively) (p < 0.001). However, during the 2002-2006 period, only 23.7% of the villagers and 27% of the rural residents obtained tests on their own from health centres, hospitals and private clinics in various nearby towns. In 2007, 63% of the villagers and 70.5% of the rural residents reported never having received treatment for schistosomiasis. This paper reveals considerable variation in the accessibility and utilisation of schistosomiasis-related health services between the central village and the rural area. A combination of low utilisation rates between 2002-2006 and persistently high S. mansoni infection rates suggest that the schistosomiasis control program must be more rapidly incorporated into the primary health services.

O objetivo do estudo foi analisar percepções e experiências em Educação em Saúde de 166 profissionais de equipes de Saúde da Família de Contagem (MG, Brasil), que responderam um questionário sobre práticas de Educação em Saúde. Os participantes consideraram aspectos além da finalidade informativa, ao relatar práticas voltadas à qualidade de vida e à formação humana. Todas as categorias profissionais mencionaram uma maior participação em grupos de controle da hipertensão arterial sistêmica e diabetes mellitus. Utilizam a pedagogia de Paulo Freire 4,7% dos entrevistados. Termos que demonstram a intencionalidade política, como “controle social” e “Educação Popular em Saúde” não foram mencionados. Foi constatada a necessidade de processos de educação permanente para os profissionais e implementação da política nacional de Educação Popular em Saúde. The aim of this study was to analyze the perceptions and experiences of Health Education amongst 166 professionals of Family Health teams in the city of Contagem, State of Minas Gerais, Southeastern Brazil. Participants answered a questionnaire about Health Education practices. When reporting practices aimed at quality of life and human education, they considered issues beyond the informational purpose. All professional categories mentioned greater participation in groups for controlling hypertension and diabetes mellitus. Use of Paulo Freire’s pedagogy was reported by 4.7% of the respondents. Terms indicating political intentionality, such as “social control” and “Popular Health Education”, were not mentioned. It was noticed that continuing education processes need to be offered to Family Health professionals and that a national policy for popular Health Education must be implemented. El objetivo del estudio fue analizar percepciones y experiencias en Educación en Salud de 166 profesionales de equipos de Salud de la Familia de Contagem (Estado de Minas Gerais) que respondieron un cuestionario sobre prácticas de Educación en Salud. Los participantes consideraron aspectos más allá de la finalidad informativa, al relatar prácticas enfocadas en la calidad de vida y en la formación humana. Todas las categorías profesionales mencionaron una mayor participación en grupos de control de la hipertensión arterial sistémica y diabetes mellitus. El 4,7 % de los entrevistados utilizan la pedagogía de Paulo Freire. No se mencionaron términos que demuestran la intencionalidad política, tales como “control social” y “Educación Popular en Salud”. Se constató la necesidad de procesos de educación permanente para los profesionales e implementación de la política nacional de Educación Popular en Salud.

Este estudo analisou as vulnerabilidades e as necessidades de acesso a saude sob a perspectiva de adolescentes escolares. Trata-se de pesquisa de abordagem quantitativa desenvolvida no municipio de Contagem-MG, com 678 adolescentes escolares entre 14 e 15 anos de idade que responderam a um questionario sobre vulnerabilidades e acesso em saude na adolescencia. Realizou-se analise descritiva estratificada por sexo. Do total de adolescentes participantes do estudo, 81,7% consideraram seu estado de saude otimo/bom, 33,8% definiram saude como bem-estar, 27,1% mencionaram ja ter iniciado sua vida sexual, 28,8% informaram nunca/raramente utilizar preservativo, 21,2% declararam utilizacao de tabaco ou bebida alcoolica. Figuraram como prioridades de acesso a saude as consultas medica (51,6%) e odontologica (46,8%), seguidas das acoes geralmente realizadas pela enfermagem, como avaliacao de peso/altura (41,9%), vacinacao (37,9%) e grupos educativos (26,4%). Os resultados demonstram a necessidade de ampliar as acoes realizadas na Atencao Primaria a Saude, para que seja favorecida uma maior adocao de praticas protetoras entre os adolescentes diante dos contextos de vulnerabilidades a saude prevalentes nessa faixa etaria.

Objective: To assess the epidemiological profile of tuberculosis in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, from 2002 to 2008. Methods: For descriptive epidemiological study, the data were obtained from the municipal National Health Surveillance System, after obtaining approval from the Research Ethics Committee at the City Health Department. Incidence coefficient, average rates and stratified data analysis with significance level of p ≤ 0.05 were calculated. Results: About 7.590 new tuberculosis cases were reported between 2002 and 2008. There was a slight reduction in the number of cases throughout the historical trend, with an average annual incidence rate of 46/100,000 inhabitants. The study also showed a male gender ratio of 1.84:1, a higher incidence coefficient in the age group between 40 and 59 years old (73/100,000) and a higher incidence of tuberculosis among people who only had primary education level. Pulmonary tuberculosis was the most prevalent form in every year of the study (p < 0,001). Among the cases reported with associated diseases, alcoholism was registered in 47.9% and AIDS in 34.5%. Between 2002 and 2008, there was an increasing trend of cases treated under Directly Observed Treatment, accounting for 29.5% in total. Cure percentage rate was below the expected result (67.3%) and non-adherence to treatment showed a high total percentage (17.9%). Conclusion: The results indicated that tuberculosis control actions need to be intensified with investments on professional training, systemic audits of the information system, improved integration between AIDS/tuberculosis programs and raising awareness of the disease with the goal of mobilizing the society. Objetivo: Avaliar o perfil epidemiológico da tuberculose em Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, no período de 2002 a 2008. Métodos: Estudo epidemiológico, descritivo, de série histórica, cujos dados foram obtidos no Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação, após a aprovação no Conselho de Ética e Pesquisa da Secretaria Municipal de Saúde. Foram calculados coeficientes de incidência, taxas médias e a análise estratificada dos dados com nível de significância de p ≤ 0,05. Resultados: Foram notificados, entre 2002 e 2008, 7.590 casos novos de tuberculose, houve um declínio do número de casos ao longo da série histórica, com taxa média anual de incidência de 46/100.000 habitantes. Observou-se uma razão de masculinidade de 1,84:1, um maior coeficiente de incidência no grupo etário de 40 a 59 anos (73/100.000 habitantes) e elevada ocorrência da tuberculose entre os indivíduos com até o ensino fundamental. A forma pulmonar foi a mais prevalente em todos os anos (p < 0,001) e entre os casos com notificação de agravos associados, o alcoolismo foi registrado em 47,9% e a AIDS em 34,5%. Entre 2002 e 2008, houve uma tendência do aumento de casos tratados na modalidade de Tratamento Diretamente Observado, representando um total de 29,5%. O percentual de cura foi abaixo do esperado (67,3%) e o de abandono elevado (17,9%). Conclusão: Os resultados indicaram que as ações de controle da tuberculose precisam ser intensificadas com investimentos em capacitação profissional, auditorias sistemáticas do sistema de informação, melhorias na integração dos programas da tuberculose/AIDS e difusão de informação sobre a doença, visando à mobilização social.

This article examines changing common knowledge of elementary school children to scientific knowledge related to the relationship between water characteristics and the transmission of schistosomiasis through health education. A review of the literature and two case studies from rural elementary schools in Brazil show how the prevailing concept of dirty and polluted water, which has operated as an epistemological obstacle for acquiring scientific knowledge, may be related to symbolic thought and cultural parameters. Through an educational intervention not commonly applied to health programs involving elementary school students in two schistosomiasis-endemic rural communities in Brazil this paper describes the difficulties researchers encountered in changing the prevailing perception that very dirty and polluted water provides optimal conditions for schistosome transmission, to the scientifically accepted view that transmission occurs most often in visually clean, although fecally contaminated water. This conceptual difficulty may be largely explained in terms of the symbolism involved in clean and dirty water and the life-giving quality of water. Based on our results, we recommend that knowledge about water-related beliefs and concepts among school children should be considered in school-based health education programs in areas of endemic schistosomiasis and possibly other intestinal infections.

The objective of this study was to analyse the effect of using two health education approaches on knowledge of transmission and prevention of schistosomiasis of school children living in a rural endemic area in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The 87 children participating in the study were divided into three groups based on gender, age and presence or absence of Schistosoma mansoni infection. In the first group the social representation model and illness experience was used. In the second group, we used the cognitive model based on the transmission of information. The third group, the control group, did not receive any information related to schistosomiasis. Ten meetings were held with all three groups that received a pre-test prior to the beginning of the educational intervention and a post-test after the completion of the program. The results showed that knowledge levels in Group 1 increased significantly during the program in regard to transmission (p = 0.038) and prevention (p = 0.001) of schistosomiasis. Groups 2 and 3 did not show significant increase in knowledge between the two tests. These results indicate that health education models need to consider social representation and illness experience besides scientific knowledge in order to increase knowledge of schistosomiasis transmission and prevention.