Working and care: emerging categories for sanitary and educational actions among farmers of São Domingos do Capim, Pará state

Abstract

The study has the purpose to analyze the emerging categories in the discourse of young, adult and senior farmers participants of a learning group of the Nucleus of Popular Education (NEP) at the University of Pará State (UEPA), in the municipal district of São Domingos do Capim, PA, with respect to the knowledge in general, healthcare practices, and diseases related to the work. The qualitative approach research was carried out in 2003 and 2004. Sixteen learning farmers were interviewed in their homes. It was verified that the work is a way of living that demands effort and, due to that, it unchains a group of signs and symptoms of diseases in the body that is the work instrument. Prayer, medicines (from drugstores and from the forest) and the time aid in their care. It was concluded that the knowledge, representations and the imaginary are built among the care to be healthy, the care to minimize the signs and symptoms of the diseases at the work and the care of the body-instrument which is sick from the effort of the work.