The role of society and family in care for child overweight and obesity: perception of health professionals at different levels of care

Abstract

The unfolding of the nutrition profile transition that took place within the last 30 years results in an epidemiological scenario that is a matter of concern, leading the Brazilian population to severe health problems. Child overweight and obesity have gained ground for significant discussion and reflection, in order to seek for strategies to better understand this issue. This study identifies the perceptions of health professionals regarding the role of society and family in the provision of care for child overweight and obesity in the Brazilian National Health System. This study relied on the participation of 7 health professionals working at the different levels of care in the National System. A semi-structured interview and content analysis were respectively used as methods for collecting and analyzing data. The results suggest that changes in family structures, social gender roles, and values of a capitalist society not only contribute so that this characteristic is deployed, but they can also be considered as determining factors for the issue of child overweight and obesity. Perhaps, the pathway to achieve improvements in the provision of care for children is moving backwards from the full satisfaction of individual wishes and resuming collective objectives, with a focus on strengthening these institutions.