Title: Construção e avaliação de um programa educativo para a promoção de atividade física junto a Equipes de Saúde da Família
Abstract: INTRODUCTION: Promoting physical activity in primary care must consider changing its social representationof a curative and restorative techniquefrom health professionals.This will occur, among other actions, by the transforming education, from questioning the world we live, according to the National Policy of Permanent Education, which guides the educational actions of the Health Family Strategy.OBJECTIVE: To construct and evaluate an education program for the promotion of physical activity together with family health teams.METHODS: We conducted a controlled intervention with workers from two primary healthcare units in Ermelino Matarazzo, municipality of Sao Paulo.The education program consisted of six meetings of one hour and a half each (nine hours total), between July and October of 2010.The theoretical frameworks for its construction were the Educational Theory of Paulo Freire and the Permanent Education.Two focus groupswere held at the beginning of the program to investigate the "minimum thematic universe" and another focus group was held at the end to evaluate the effect of the education program on the meaning of the practice and counseling about physical activity.Also, all meetings were reported by the professor and by an independent observer.Qualitative data were analyzed using the speech and conversation analysis method.The program"s effects on health behaviors related to physical activity were evaluated by comparing both groups according to free time physical activity, active commuting, use of television and computer, and the sum of barriers reported for free time physical activity practice.Mann-Whitney was used and significance level of p < 0,05 was adopted for all analysis.RESULTS: The education program for physical activity promotion had great acceptation among lay health workers and assistant nurses.Positive changes were observed in the meaning of the practice and counseling about physical activity.We also identified important institutional obstacles for physical activity promotion.CONCLUSION: The education program for physical activity promotion led to positive changes over the meaning of the practice and counseling about physical activity among health professionals, being also recognized by them as a space for dialogue and care.However, if we want to fully use all the program"s potentialities, it is indispensable to overcome institutional limits for physical activity promotion and health education.