Banca de DEFESA: LETICIA LUANA CLAUDINO DA SILVA

Uma banca de DEFESA de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : LETICIA LUANA CLAUDINO DA SILVA
DATE: 06/11/2025
TIME: 13:00
LOCAL: Sala 2 do NESC/UFRN - Campus Natal
TITLE:

EQUITY IN HEALTH WORK: AN INTERSECTIONAL VIEW OF THE REALITY OF COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS IN A NORTHEASTERN BRAZILIAN MUNICIPALITY

KEY WORDS:

Health Equity. Intersectionality. Community Health Workers. Healthcare Work Process

PAGES: 86
BIG AREA: Ciências da Saúde
AREA: Saúde Coletiva
SUMMARY:

Introduction: Equity in health is one of the fundamental principles of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS), being an essential condition for ensuring the universal right to health and the consolidation of social justice. Guaranteeing equitable conditions within the SUS is not limited to institutional organization but also represents a political and ethical commitment to social justice. Understanding how inequalities manifest in the daily practices of health professionals, especially those on the front lines of care, is essential for consolidating a fairer and more humanized system. Objectives: This study aimed to analyze, from an intersectional perspective, the perceptions of Community Health Workers (CHWs) and Endemic Disease Control Workers (EDCWs) from a municipality in Northeastern Brazil regarding the inequities experienced in their daily work. Methodology: This is a qualitative and exploratory study conducted with 15 participants. The study population consisted of CHWs and EDCWs working in the SUS of a Northeastern Brazilian municipality. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and processed using the IRAMUTEQ software, analyzed according to Bardin’s Content Analysis technique. The interpretation of the results was guided by the theoretical framework of intersectionality and the concept of equity in health. Results: The findings revealed that experiences of inequality intersect through social markers such as gender, race, class, age, and sexuality, showing that inequities go beyond the sphere of user care and also affect health workers. The thematic categories addressed disrespect toward identities and diversity, institutional and territorial barriers to healthcare access, precarious working conditions, and emotional overload, especially among women. It was also observed that the naturalization of these inequalities compromises the full realization of the principle of equity within the SUS. Final Considerations: Promoting equity in healthcare work requires recognizing and confronting the multiple dimensions of structural inequalities that permeate the daily lives of health workers. It was found that weaknesses in work management and health education policies aggravate these inequalities, limiting opportunities for professional development, recognition, and the promotion of healthy work environments. Intersectionality proved to be a powerful framework for understanding the invisible layers of inequality within healthcare work and, at the same time, for indicating paths of transformation. The strengthening of public policies and continuing education initiatives is emphasized as a strategy in the pursuit of more equitable and humanized healthcare work.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Presidente - 1119740 - MAURICIO WIERING PINTO TELLES
Interna - 1242804 - ADRIANA GOMES MAGALHAES
Interno - 3474916 - JOSE JAILSON DE ALMEIDA JUNIOR
Externa à Instituição - ERIKA RODRIGUES DE ALMEIDA - MS