Health-illness process and health promotion: conceptual and theoretical aspects

Abstract

This article presents some of the concepts surrounding the health-illness process and the health promotion efforts that appear in recent Brazilian literature, aiming to contribute toward some reflection on the different types of concern and their manifestations. As a reference, we cite the socio-historical contexts that influenced the development of the concepts in question, based on the arguments of contemporary representative authors. The work is structured into two blocks: the first presents the different conceptualizations of health, illness and the process “health-illness”, relating them with the historical settings from which they originated. The second describes the development of the concepts and practices of health promotion and prevention strategies in the past few years, and its incorporation into the Brazilian Public Health System - SUS. The analysis of this evolutionary process shows that although these concepts are perhaps still limited in describing the extent and concreteness of the initiatives implemented within the scope of SUS, they have great operational value in guiding health policy projects.