Education for health promotion: the challenges of centrality and decentralization in southern Brazil

Abstract Background The research starts at the possible invisibility of the theme of Health Promotion (PS) in Health education, its curricular propositions as well as its teaching strategies, and when visible, questions arise: What is the concept of Promotion in Health underpinning the training actions implemented? The concealment of the theme makes it impossible to produce the Health Promotion within the scope of a Residency Program? Methods To analyze the dynamics of the conduct of the Health Promotion Policy, present in the relationship between the centrality of the guidelines formulated at national and global level and the decentralization of Health Education strategies. This proposal presents a qualitative and systemic approach, which intends to analyze four in-service training programs (three national and one international), with regard to the conceptual conceptions of Health Promotion and Health System users. the subjects of the research, conduct semi-structured interviews and documentary analysis when necessary. Results This proposal presents as a reference the expanded concept of health and its social determinants, the responsibility of the State in sanitary regulation, universality, population participation and integrality, accessibility to information as a right and territorialization. Conclusions This study will feed the elaboration, in two Brazilian municipalities, through the School of Public Health of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, of a training proposal for health workers, guided by the conceptual and political framework of Health Promotion. Key messages The dynamics of the Health Promotion Policy, present in the relationship between the centrality of the guidelines formulated at global level and the decentralization of Health Education strategies. The importance of Health Promotion in interprofessional training in health services.