Representações sociais de pessoas com hipertensão arterial sistêmica sobre a adesão ao tratamento medicamentoso e não medicamentoso da doença

Abstract

The present study aimed to understand the social representations of people with systemic arterial hypertension regarding adherence to drug and non-drug treatment for the disease, as well as the factors that contribute or not to adherence to treatment. We opted for a descriptive study with a qualitative approach using the Theory of Social Representations as a theoretical-methodological framework. The research was carried out in two basic health units in the city of Juiz de Fora – Minas Gerais. To collect data, semi-structured interviews were used with 15 users of the units selected for the study. Data collection took place between June and July 2023, after approval by the Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Juiz de Fora. Data analysis and interpretation took place according to Laurence Bardin's Content Analysis method. The interviews were recorded on electronic media, using a voice recorder, ensuring the reliability of the transcription of the statements into the Microsoft Word® 2019 program, in a way that met all ethical and legal aspects. The interviews were transcribed and organized, resulting in 3 categories: Receiving a diagnosis of hypertension: social representation of the disease and its impacts on daily life; Social representation of adherence to medication use by hypertensive people; Social representation of adherence to healthy lifestyle habits by hypertensive people. Initially, it was possible to understand that drug treatment for hypertension is incorporated into the participants' routine in a more acceptable and comfortable way. Non-drug treatment, on the other hand, has its adherence made difficult by the physical and mental exhaustion caused by work, domestic services and even family relationships.