Social representations of low-income diabetic women according to the health-disease process

Authors

  • Denise Siqueira Péres University of São Paulo; Ribeirão Preto Medical School
  • Laércio Joel Franco University of São Paulo; Ribeirão Preto Medical School
  • Manoel Antônio dos Santos University of São Paulo; Ribeirão Preto School of Philosophy, Sciences and Languages
  • Maria Lúcia Zanetti University of São Paulo; Ribeirão Preto College of Nursing

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/S0104-11692008000300009

Keywords:

diabetes mellitus, health-disease process, health educación

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to identify the social representations of low-income diabetic women according to the health-disease process. This is a descriptive, exploratory study. Eight participants, all of them patients at a basic health unit in Ribeirão Preto, were interviewed in 2003. The data were organized according to thematic content analysis and analyzed according to theory of social representations. Diabetes is related to negative feelings, such as shock, anger and sadness; the diet plan is linked to the loss of pleasure, and also to health risks. The diabetic women showed an ambivalent relation to medication, perceived it as both tiring and as a resource that promotes well-being and improvements in quality of life. The negative representation of health services seems to interfere with the behavior of adherence to pharmacological treatment. Understanding the representations of women with diabetes contributes to integral healthcare for diabetic patients.

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Published

2008-06-01

Issue

Vol. 16 No. 3 (2008)

Section

Original Articles

License

RLAE’s authorship concept is based on the substantial contribution by each of the individuals listed as authors, mainly in terms of conceiving and planning the research project, collecting or analyzing and interpreting data, writing and critical review. Indication of authors’ names under the article title is limited to six. If more, authors are listed on the online submission form under Acknowledgements. The possibility of including more than six authors will only be examined on multicenter studies, considering the explanations presented by the authors.
Including names of authors whose contribution does not fit into the above criteria cannot be justified. Those names can be included in the Acknowledgements section.
 Authors are fully responsible for the concepts disseminated in their manuscripts, which do not necessarily reflect the editors’ and editorial board’s opinion.

 

How to Cite

Péres, D. S., Franco, L. J., Santos, M. A. dos, & Zanetti, M. L. (2008). Social representations of low-income diabetic women according to the health-disease process. Revista Latino-Americana De Enfermagem, 16(3), 389-395. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0104-11692008000300009