THE SERTÃO AND POPULAR HEALTH EDUCATION: THE EXPERIENCE OF THE BASIC EDUCATION MOVEMENT IN THE CAICÓ SYSTEM – RURAL RADIO, RIO GRANDE DO NORTE, 1970S–1980S
Basic Education Movement MEB; Caicó Rural Radio System; Health Awareness; Education; Health.
This dissertation examines the practices of popular health education developed by the (Basic Education Movement - MEB through the Caicó Rural Radio System, Rio Grande do Norte, during the 1970s and 1980s, with an emphasis on radio programs dedicated to teaching about health, diseases, hygiene, and nutrition. The study investigates how these contents were disseminated and appropriated by listeners, as well as their relationship with the process of the expansion of public health policies into Brazil interior regions. Methodologically, the research is based on Laurence Bardin’s Content Analysis, drawing on radio programs, listeners’ letters, and teaching materials preserved by the Historical Documentation Laboratory as part of the Rádio Rural Collection. The analysis demonstrates that the educational initiatives promoted by the MEB contributed to the dissemination of health knowledge among the rural populations of the sertão, fostering educational practices aimed at disease prevention and health promotion.