Social representations of women in pregnancy, postpartum, and educational actions

Abstract

Aim: To understand the social representations of postpartum in terms of health education in pregnancy and childbirth. Method: This is a descriptive study guided by the Theory of Social Representations, developed in nine Family Health Centers in Fortaleza, Ceará. The study subjects were users enrolled in one of these centers, in the postpartum period, older than 18 years, with at least six prenatal visits and a postpartum consultation. We used the Test of Free Association of Words. Results: The primiparous women combine educational activities with family education. The multiparous women have in their evocations representations of health actions provided by the physician, courses and lectures. Discussion: The multiparous women undergo a process of reframing of their experience after the consultations. Thus, scientific knowledge is emphasized and popular knowledge devalued. Conclusion: We need to reframe educational actions that may be understood as a vehicle for knowledge construction, breaking the traditional design of transmission and reproduction.