Social inequalities in health and corporal practices: a singular analysis exercise

Abstract

By recognizing the relevance of studies about social inequalities in health, the paper proposes an analysis that puts this theme in relation to the question of bodily practices (and its institutionalization in the public sphere). It begins by recovering ethical-political perspectives that legitimize the ideas of primary health care and health promotion, and some specific elements of the large theoretical debate on social inequalities and inequities in health. On this basis, the way in which bodily practices have been "positioned" in the universe of Brazilian primary care is discussed, since their implementation occurs in a medicalized, fragmented manner. The paper analyses the context of two existing public initiatives in the state of Espírito Santo (ES) that promote bodily practices/physical activities through the comparison of data related to the living conditions in some neighbourhoods of the city of Vitoria and the characteristics of the above-mentioned programs. At the end some considerations are presented based on the empirical-conceptual framework produced.