Intersectoral practices in public policies for health promotion

• Published in: Physis (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) Brazil), 2012-01, Vol.22 (4), p.1333-1356
• Main Authors: Azevedo, Elaine de, Pelicioni, Maria Cecilia Focesi, Westphal, Marcia Faria
• Format: Article
• Language: Portuguese
• Subjects: Community Involvement; Decisions; Diseases; Health Education; Health Problems; Health Professions; Intervention; Public Health; Social Networks
• ISSN: 0103-7331
• DOI: 10.1590/S0103-73312012000400005

This review examines some public policies established between 2006 and 2010 that dialogue with the guidelines of Health Promotion, in order to investigate how intersectorality permeates their actions. Intersectoriality is able to revitalize such policies, encouraging health promotion actions that address the complex determinants of the disease process. However, some problems showed up to meet this challenge. Noteworthy is the unpreparedness of political and technical managers and health professionals to take intersectoral actions and administrative matters that hinder the implementation of integrated actions. This unpreparedness leads, among other damages, to the lack of recognition of some themes of the policies as legitimate questions of public health. Moreover, many remain in the policy agendas, centralized decisions that prevent community participation and the emergence of problems adjusted to local realities, whose solutions require intersectoral and creative interventions. Thus, it becomes essential to foster an effective educational process to form interdisciplinary health professionals with intersectoral viewpoint in line with the guidelines of public policies to promote health. It is also important to highlight the territorial dimension and social networks, improving participatory processes that enhance the intersectoral perspective of these policies, as well as to stimulate the activation of the subject in decision making. Adapted from the source document.