Health promotion in the basic units: analysis of the users' social representations about the role of the physical therapy

The aim of this article is to identify the social representations of the users of operative groups about health and the physical therapy role in the health/disease process, as well as to verify how the representations of the users are related to the purposes of these groups. The present study was developed under a qualitative approach using the semi-structured interview. Users of the "Quality of Life" project from four basic health units of the city of Divinópolis, Minas Gerais State, were interviewed. The interviews were recorded and transcribed in order to preserve the totality of the statements. The analysis of the data was performed based on the thematic units. The main themes that emerged were: health as absence of disease, dependency of the group, physical therapy linked to physical rehabilitation and to health promotion, physical therapy linked to the psychological improvement and humanization of the physical therapy assistance. The knowledge of the social representations of the users from the "Quality of Life" project reinforces the need of the participation of the population in the development, accomplishment and evaluation of the health programs in order to reach coherence between the user expectations and the purposes of the program.