The study aimed to identify the social representation of health education built by community health workers. It was developed with 119 community health workers in the city of João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brasil. Data were collected by the test of free association of words, questionnaires and interviews and analyzed by different methods and techniques. The results show: guidance, prevention and care as the centerpiece of representations. The peripheral: important, be prepared to guide, conduct, guidelines, professional, among others. The social representation of health education is structured in two levels: one aimed at informing the general public, another for professional training.
Health education; Health personnel; Family Health Program