Article
The production of social discourse on Hansen’s disease and health education materials in Brazil: Askin patch as something harmless or aserious disease?
Registro en:
SANTOS, Adriana Kelly; RIBEIRO, Ana Paula Goulart; MONTEIRO, Simone. The production of social discourse on Hansen’s disease and health education materials in Brazil: A skin patch as something harmless or a serious disease?. Lepr. Rev., v.83, p.24-33, 2012.
0305-7518
Autor
Santos, Adriana Kelly
Ribeiro, Ana Paula Goulart
Monteiro, Simone
Resumen
Aim: Hansen’s disease is endemic in Brazil and government control programmes promote publicity campaigns to increase the detection of new cases through the production and distribution of educative material. Objectives: This study analyses as et of 276 educational materials produced by governmental and non-governmental organisations that work to control Hansen’s disease in Brazil. It describes the content of the materials and the way the issues were approached. Design: It is aqualitative study that adopts the theoretical and methodological framework of the semiology of social discourse. Results: Analysis reveals that the relations between the enunciator and recipient of the materials are asymmetrical as aresult of the technical and educational language employed. Biomedical information forms the basis for social representations and practices of Hansen’s disease, as opposed to historical collective knowledge of ‘leprosy’. The prioritised topics are: signs and symptoms of the disease, treatment, stigma, cure and surveillance. Conclusions: The institutionalisation of public education on Hansen’s disease in Brazil was not limited simply to the change of terminology from ‘leprosy’ to ‘Hansen’s disease,’ but was shaped also by new educational practices. It is recommended that the evaluation and production of new materials be incorporated into the set of activities already carried out in health centres so as to expand the discussion on content, language and the best way to address the disease in the materials.