Abstract

DORNELLES, Aline Dias  and  ANTON, Márcia Camaratta. The perception of health professionals on attention to childhood overweight and obesity in Brazilian Public Health System (SUS). Aletheia [online]. 2013, n.41, pp.53-66. ISSN 1413-0394.

The increase in incidence of non-transmittable chronic diseases has generated a mobilization of health professionals and administrators in order to find strategies to better cope with this considerable demand. Childhood obesity stands out for being an important risk factor for other health problems. The present study aims at investigating the perception of health professionals regarding the assistance to patients with childhood overweight and obesity in the Brazilian public health system (SUS). The participants of this study were seven health professionals working at different levels of attention in the health care system. Structured interview and content analysis were used as data gathering method and data analysis, respectively. The results indicate bottleneck problems in the health care system, with deficits in communication and referencing. This directly affects the quality of assistance making professionals take gravity-based decisions.

Keywords : Overweight; Obesity; SUS.

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