Crenças e atitudes dos profissionais de saúde em relação a pessoas com obesidade na atenção básica do município sede da primeira macrorregião de saúde da Paraíba

Abstract

Introduction: obesity presents itself as a severe public health challenge, portrayed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a global epidemic. Besides the impact on the occurrence of chronic diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes type 2, obesity also affects the mental health of the subjects, especially when considering the prejudice and social stigmas related to the weight excess, entitled in Brazil as “gordofobia”. Purpose: Evaluate beliefs and the behavior of healthcare professionals regarding people with obesity among primary health care in the city of João Pessoa-PB, whose investigated population encompassed the healthcare professionals who fit in the inclusion criteria. Material and Methods: study with a qualitative approach with an exploratory descriptive initial stage, with a cross-sectional approach and characterization of the subjects, involving 25 primary care health professionals. The data collection was done between July and September of 2022 through a translated structured and adapted instrument entitled Escala de Atitudes Antiobesidade composed of 34 questions, in addition to a structured self-referred form about the sociodemographics and nutritional conditions of the participants and a semi-structured interview. Basic Health Units were selected with the greater number of registered professionals. The investigated variables were distributed into three categories: sociodemographic profile of the healthcare staff; nutritional profile; and the existence of beliefs and behaviors anti-obesity. The descriptive data were stored in Microsoft Office Excel 2019 electronic spreadsheets and transferred to the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS version 22.0). The analysis of these data comprehended the description of the results of sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, in addition to nutritional status. The qualitative data were elaborated utilizing the Google Docs package from Google Drive for the textual transcription of the responses obtained at the semi-structured interview, and were analyzed through the Bardin Content Analysis. The research project followed all of the inherent orientation to the research protocol contained in the n 466/12 Resolution of the National Health Council. Results: this research demonstrated the presence of beliefs and behaviors anti-obesity and/or fatphobic amongst healthcare professionals from the most different academic backgrounds in primary health care. It was also verified that the realization of actions recommended for the prevention and promotion of health aimed at people with obesity were almost non-existent. Conclusions: the data produced by this study contributed in the current reflection on the methods used for the obesity diagnosis, the public healthcare policies which are based on the offered care to these people, and how the behavior of the professionals towards the overweight or obese individuals has an important role of their treatment, moreover the constant necessity of the permanent awareness and education about the theme that contributes which contributes directly to reducing the social stigma that these individuals suffer from.