Street Races: The New Silver Bullet for Health Promotion in the Brazilian Unified Health System?

Abstract

Physical activities and body practices are recognized as determinants of health in Brazil, and street races linked to the Unified Health System (SUS) have grown in recent years. This study aimed to conduct a critical analysis of such races as a health promotion strategy within the health system. This is a multiple-case study with a qualitative approach, which analyzed two events – the “1ª Corrida Run SUS” ("1st Run SUS Race) and the “1ª Corrida Vigilância em Saúde” (1st Health Surveillance Race) – regarding: funding; number and profile of registrants; participant kit items; technical and/or financial participation and/or support from the Health Department; and the implementation of health promotion actions for physical activities and body practices within the SUS. It is noteworthy that in one of the events, in addition to public resources from parliamentary amendments, participants were charged a registration fee; there was no involvement from the health department; and in both events, no information was collected on the participants profile, preventing analysis of inequities. Furthermore, there was a disproportionate allocation of public resources, with short-term events such as races receiving significant investments, whereas funding for structuring and ongoing actions remains comparatively low. We conclude that there is no silver bullet for the complex challenge of physical inactivity, and that the symbolic linkage between street races and the SUS requires greater analytical and political rigor. In one of the races, tensions were evident regarding the coherence of the funding model and the imposition of economic barriers, which may compromise the participation of those who would benefit most.