A psychosocial approach to health promotion: reviewing the process of a support group on weight and eating
Lara, Bruna Robba
Abstract
Presents a literature review on health promotion models and the psychosocial approaches on obesity, discussing these models limitations. Proposing an articulation between health promotion and the psychosocial approach of the vulnerability and human rights framework, a case study of the collective construction of a mutual aid group on weight, eating and health (GAM-PAS), coordinated by the author as part of her undergraduate research, is developed. The objective of this study was to describe and analyze the implementation process of this proposal, which was created from the suggestions of the participants of the nutrition education group of the Health Promotion Center of the General Clinic Service of the Medical College of the University of São Paulo (CPS-HC). The case study has utilized group session recordings in addition to the observations recorded on a field journal of the process. The groups participants were recruited through banner ads, made by the researcher and by one of the participants of the CPS-HC group, a woman who accepted being the multiplier of this proposal on her neighborhood. The process analysis was informed by the notion of practical success and technical efficacy and by the psychosocial approach on vulnerability committed to the protection and promotion of rights, stimulating collective solutions to the shared difficulties of the lived life. The GAM-PAS had two-hour weekly meetings. The following are described: what was planned and what really happened; how the eating and health issues were experienced in the participants daily lives; what was the meaning of the GAM-PAS in the terms of its participants. The participants and the multiplier of the GAM-PAS seemed to expect the researcher to supply them with all the information they deemed necessary to take care of their eating and health, not expecting an intervention proposal open to their contribution. However, throughout the meetings, the multiplier and the participants began to contribute, transforming the space of the GAM-PAS. It wasnt possible to generate collective responses to problems which, from a psychosocial approach on vulnerability to obesity and overweight, would require a collective movement; neither was it possible to broaden the groups consciousness on the violation of the rights to adequate food and to full health attention to which they were supposed to have access. The socially shared belief that the care to both body and health would depend only on the individual willpower is assumed to decrease the possibility of a collective approach to the programmatic difficulties related to obesity and overweight. The lack of knowledge of both the researcher and the groups participants of the operation of the Brazils National Health System (SUS) didnt help the acknowledgment of their rights of access to integral care and prevention on eating issues. It is believed that this intervention would have benefitted from a psychosocial approach handling more radically committed to the vulnerability and human rights framework. It is highlighted the importance of including the SUS framework and work in multidisciplinary teams into the education of the social psychologist, considering social inequality and violation of rights contexts
Keywords
Health promotion, Human rights, Nutrition, Social psychology, Vulnerability
Avaiable at:
http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/47/47134/tde-06052010-124157/publico/lara_me.pdf
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