Abstract
This paper aimed to understand the perceptions of rural male workers, residents in a northern territory of Minas Gerais, Brazil, regarding care practices developed during their production process. This is a qualitative research, with the application of the field observation technique, with records on a diary and accomplishment of individual interviews. Data analysis used the hermeneutic-dialectic method, allowing for the construction of three thematic categories. The men surveyed have a vision based on curative care model and on great dependence on the physician. Some related healthcare practices with habits and healthy life style, such as nutrition; hydration and non-consumption of alcohol and/or tobacco. It is important to highlight that most of the men considered the job as a tool for health care, having a direct relationship with the prevention of occupational risks. In this context, the primary healthcare professionals should encourage the distancing from the biomedical, prescriptive and non-preventive model that still predominates in the vision of the Brazilian population and mainly in the male culture and in rural areas, seeking an integral look for health promotion and maintenance.
Key words
Rural workers; Man’s health; Health care; Healthcare models