Visão de profissionais e estudantes da área de saúde sobre a interface saúde e meio ambiente / View of health area professionals on the interface between health and the environment

Este artigo apresenta a visão de profissionais e estudantes da área da saúde sobre a interface saúde e meio ambiente. Estudo de abordagem qualitativa, descritivo, desenvolvidos com diferentes atores sociais que integram o processo de formação profissional e laboral da área da saúde em um município do Rio Grande do Sul. Os dados foram coletados por meio de entrevista semiestruturada com questões norteadoras sobre o objeto de estudo, feita com trabalhadores hospitalares, enfermeiros, docentes, acadêmicos da área da saúde e agentes comunitários de saúde. Cada subprojeto foi analisado individualmente, com base no referencial sobre análise de conteúdo. Os resultados evidenciam que os sujeitos possuem visões dicotômicas sobre meio ambiente e reconhecem os efeitos prejudiciais da atual crise ambiental, alegando que o ser humano é o principal causador. Os sujeitos do estudo entendem que há estreita interface entre saúde e meio ambiente, sendo as populações menos privilegiadas economicamente as mais afetadas pelos danos ambientais. Conclui-se que o aprofundamento do debate sobre o tema no processo de formação e prática profissional em saúde é fundamental no sentido de se buscar a efetiva responsabilidade socioambiental por parte dos atores sociais atuantes no setor.

This article presents the view health area professionals and students have concerning the interface between health and the environment. It is a qualitative, descriptive study undertaken with different social players that are part of the vocational training process in the health care area in a municipality in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The data were collected through a semistructured interview comprising gui-ding questions on the study subject and carried out among hospital workers, nurses, health care professors and students, and community health agents. Each subproject was analyzed individually based on the content analysis framework. The results show that the subjects have dichotomous views on the environment and acknowledge the adverse effects of the current environmental crisis, claiming that human beings are the main cause of it. The study subjects understand that there is a narrow interface between health and the environment and that the economically less privileged populations are those most affected by environmental damage. It is concluded that deepening the debate on the subject in the process of providing training and professional practice in health is fundamental in order to seek effective socioenvironmental responsibility among the social players involved in the sector.

The perception of students of the area of health about the environmental problems: a descriptive study

Aim: The study aims to understand what students in the area of health know about the environmental problems. Method: Descriptive research, of a qualitative nature, was performed with regard to academicians of the area of health in a graduate level institution. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed through the use of content analysis. Results: The data showed a polarized concept about the environment which can be simplified as an interactive view or a naturalized one. The actual environmental problems impact on the subjects, and they identify humanity as the origin of this situation. They call attention to some of the actions that are fundamental to the creation of sustainable behavior, yet there is a question about government inefficiency with regard to the topic. Conclusion: The development of the discussion about the topic is fundamental to stimulate the reflexive process about social-environmental responsibility by academicians in the area of health.