Hipertensión arterial y conocimiento popular: incrementando el cuidado

The contemporary sociocultural context suggests an information gap between the popular knowledge level and the scientific knowledge level, as far as arterial hypertension is concerned. The objective was to describe the popular knowledge on arterial hypertension and to analyze the scientific knowledge on health care education in arterial hypertension. A qualitative and descriptive study developed with 23 outpatients assisted in appointments and health care events in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro in 2010. The data were collected by means of semi-structured interview and submitted to content analysis. Results the popular knowledge on arterial hypertension showed some questions regarding the development, course of pathology, signs and symptoms, difficulties to control the medication and lack of information. We conclude that the educational actions have not awakened the critical awareness on users, with many questions remaining, and they have not achieved the objectives proposed on health care practices reorientation. Keywords: Nursing care; arterial hypertension; health care education; self-care. O contexto sociocultural contemporaneo aponta para um distanciamento de informacoes entre a esfera do saber popular e a esfera do saber cientifico no que diz respeito a hipertensao arterial. Objetivou-se descrever os saberes populares sobre a hipertensao arterial e analisar o conhecimento cientifico da educacao em saude na hipertensao arterial. Estudo qualitativo, descritivo, desenvolvido com 23 pessoas atendidas na rede ambulatorial e nas feiras de saude no municipio do Rio de Janeiro, em 2010. Os dados foram coletados por meio de entrevista semiestruturada e submetidos a analise de conteudo. Sao resultados: os saberes populares sobre a hipertensao arterial mostraram duvidas em relacao ao desenvolvimento, curso da patologia, os sinais e sintomas, as dificuldades do controle com a medicacao e a carencia de informacao. Concluiu-se que as acoes educativas nao despertaram nos usuarios a consciencia critica, deixando muitas duvidas, e nao atingiram os objetivos propostos pela reorientacao das praticas de saude. Palavras-chave: Cuidado de enfermagem; hipertensao arterial; educacao em saude; autocuidado. El contexto sociocultural contemporaneo apunta para un alejamiento de informaciones entre el campo del saber popular y el campo del saber cientifico con respecto a la hipertension arterial. Se objetivo describir los saberes populares sobre la hipertension arterial y an