Conceptions About Health and Care Practices of Black Men from a Quilombola Community

Abstract

Introduction: Universal health coverage will be guaranteed to all individuals, safeguarding the rights of traditional communities, as in the quilombola population, respecting the dimensions of interculturality, gender and ethnicity. Objective: The aim of this study is to describe the conceptions of health and health care practices of Afro-Brazilian men from a quilombola community. Methods: This was a qualitative descriptive study conducted with Afro-Brazilian men from a quilombola community in Bahia, Brazil, where there is a significant concentration of black people and quilombola communities. Results: This group’s conceptions of health are based on the combination of the individual body with the body that is socially and culturally situated in the community. Health care practices are anchored in cultural knowledge and strengthened by the bonds with nature, friends and religious leaders. Conclusion: The black men from quilombola communities are in a state of vulnerability due to the lack of access to health services.