HEALTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE: TEACHERS' SPEECHES IN DAILY LIFE OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL IN SANTA CATARINA

Abstract

The research aimed to know the conceptions of health, disease, quality of life and other topics in teachers of a public school in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil, 2013. A qualitative and descriptive study was carried out with data collected in focus group and semi-structured interviews. The focal group strategy was oriented on the approach of the ‘circle of culture’, in which the participants expressed their concepts on the studied themes and reflected on how to contribute to health promotion strategies in the school context through education on health. The research universe included 16 teachers from state schools; eight teachers confirmed their participation in the focus group and, of these, only six attended the first to the last meeting. At the end, the data revealed that teachers perceive a close relationship between health and quality of life and that a healthy life is possible in the presence of disease. They emphasized the need for greater participation of parents and health professionals in the health education process and also a systematic and continuing preparation on issues involving health in the school context. Conceptions of teachers reaffirm that the social dimension exceeds the biological one and that knowledge and appreciation of these aspects, in teaching practice, can broaden health actions.

Keywords
health; quality of life; teachers