Autopercepção de saúde da população negra

Abstract

The structural racism practiced for centuries against the black population still affects the health of the black population, since institutional racism is present in health services. As a result, the Ministry of Health, through ordinance 922/2009, institutes the recognition of ethnic-racial inequality in the social determinants of health. From the theoretical framework of Health Psychology, this study aimed to understand the self-perception of health of black people living in the city of João Pessoa, Paraíba. It was a descriptive, exploratory, cross-sectional study with a qualitative approach. Eighteen self-declared black people living in the city of João Pessoa, Paraíba participated, in a non-probabilistic way and for convenience. The age of the participants ranged from 27 to 64 years, with the majority being female (n=12). A For data collection, a sociodemographic questionnaire and semi-structured interview were used. The data resulting from the interviews were analyzed through Content Analysis of the Thematic categorical type, as proposed by Bardin. From the analysis of the reports, seven thematic categories and fourteen subcategories emerged, which included 180 units of content. The thematic categories included contents that dealt with: a) Concept of individual health, b) Perception of one's own health, c) Social factors that influence health, d) Resources for maintaining health, e) Impediments to a healthy life f) Racism in a public institution, and g) Self-assessment of mental health. It was found that the way in which the participants define health is based on elements of a subjective order, which is related to their experiences with the processes of health, disease and care. Most participants perceived their health based on the notion of multifactorial well-being, taking into account not only the absence of disease. It is observed that the social factors that influence health point to the social determinants of health. Thus, respondents highlighted aspects such as: Housing, Food, Basic Sanitation, Income, Politics, Work, Security and Racism and Prejudice. Among the aspects that make it difficult to maintain a healthy life, financial instability stands out. The results showed that most participants rated their mental health negatively. The precariousness of the social determinants of health affects the health care of the black population.