Health managers and professionals’ perception on the care of child and adolescent obesity in Brazil’s Unified Health System

Abstract

The study aimed to analyze the perception of health managers and professionals on the care of children and adolescents with overweight and obesity in the Unified Health System of Sergipe, Brazil. This is a qualitative and exploratory study with sample composed of 46 actors and semi-structured interviews as data collection method. The existing care was perceived as poor and fragmented, regardless of the health care level. The main difficulties were the professionals’ work process, care management and organization, family support and insufficient resources. Potentialities related to management, teams and professionals, which could contribute to the implementation of a comprehensive care line, were also identified. However, the organization of care for child obesity still requires the connectivity of different actors’ roles and tasks, with the agreement and co-responsibility between services, professionals and family. Key words: Obesity. Child. Adolescent. Comprehensive Health Care. Unified Health System.