Orientador: Tania Ruiz / Banca: Elen Rose Lodeiro Castanheira / Banca: Gilberto Luppi / Resumo: O Agente Comunitário de Saúde (ACS), considerado protagonista do atual cenário de reorganização da atenção primária à saúde no Brasil, é o elemento de integração entre as equipes e a comunidade onde reside. O envelhecimento populacional faz com que saber entender e relacionar-se com os idosos se torne um desafio para esse personagem na boa execução de suas funções. Assim, é fundamental sabermos o que os ACS pensam e conhecem sobre o idoso e sobre o envelhecimento. Nosso estudo tem os objetivos de descrever e analisar o perfil sociodemográfico, a experiência de convivência e trabalho com idosos, as atitudes em relação à velhice e os conhecimentos que os ACS de Marília-SP têm sobre o envelhecimento. Foi realizado um estudo transversal, de caráter descritivo onde se entrevistaram os 213 agentes comunitários das 12 Unidades Básicas de Saúde (UBS) e 29 Unidades de Saúde da Família (USF) de Marília. Os dados foram coletados através de um questionário sociodemográfico e dois instrumentos: uma escala de atitudes em relação à velhice e um questionário para avaliar conhecimentos gerontológicos. Os resultados mostraram que o quadro de ACS de Marília é formado predominantemente por adultos jovens, do sexo feminino, casados, com mais de 12 anos de escolaridade e inseridos nesta atividade há mais de 6 anos. Verificamos que a maioria dos profissionais relatou experiência com grupo de idosos e convivência intra-domiciliar com pessoas desta faixa etária, porém menos da metade referiu capacitação no tema "envelhecimento". Comparando UBS e USF, nas primeiras, onde a população idosa é maior, os ACS são de faixa etária mais alta, têm mais tempo de trabalho, maior convivência intra-domiciliar com idosos, mais experiência com grupos de idosos e referem mais capacitação em envelhecimento. Quanto às atitudes em relação à velhice, as avaliações ... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Community Health Agents (CHAs), considered to be protagonists in the present scenario of primary health care reorganization in Brazil, are the elements of integration between the teams and the community where they reside. Population ageing makes knowing, understanding and relating to the elderly a challenge to these players in the performance of their duties. Hence, it is fundamental to know what CHAs think and know about the elderly and ageing. Our study aimed at describing and analyzing the socio-demographic profile of CHAs, their experience of being and working with the elderly, their attitudes in relation to old age and the knowledge that CHAs from Marília-SP have about ageing. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in which the 213 community agents from the 12 primary care units (UBS) and the 29 Family Health Units (UFS) in Marília were interviewed. Data were collected by means of a socio-demographic questionnaire and two instruments: a scale of attitudes in relation to old age and a questionnaire to evaluate gerontological knowledge. Results showed that the team of CHAs predominantly comprises young adults who are married, have attended school for longer than 12 years and have worked in this activity for over 6 years. It was observed that most of the professionals reported to have experience with the group of elderly people as well as intradomiciliary contact with individuals at that age range. However, fewer than half of the CHAs reported to have been trained on the topic of "ageing". By comparing UBSs and USFs, in the former, where the elderly population is larger, the CHAs are older, have been working longer, have more intradomicilary contact with the elderly and more experience with elderly groups. They also report to have been better trained on ageing. Concerning attitudes in relation to old age, the CHA's positive evaluations occurred particularly in ... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

Resumo: O presente estudo objetiva descrever e analisar a situação de trabalho dos Agentes Comunitários de Saúde (ACS) de Marília/SP, em sua relação com a população e com os demais profissionais de saúde, mediante procedimento metodológico quanti-qualitativo. Na abordagem quantitativa, para a caracterização do perfil do ACS, os dados foram coletados por questionário e, na qualitativa, realizou-se entrevista semi-estruturada com 16 ACS. Para a análise dos dados da entrevista foi utilizada a técnica de análise de conteúdo e construidas oito categorias empiricas: a) o significado de ser ACS; b) a notivação de ser ACS; c) ações desenvolvidas; d) facilidades e e) dificuldades no trabalho com as familias;... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The present paper is aimed at describing and analyzing the labor situation of Community Health Agents (CHA) in Marília/SP and also their relation with the population and the other health professionals by means of a quantitative/qualitative methodological procedure. In order to characterize the CHA profile, for the quantitative approach, the data were collected through a questionnaire and semi-structured interview was conducted with the 16 CHA for the qualitative approach. The content technique was used to analyze the interview data and eight empirical categories were constructed: a) the motivation to be CHA; b) the meaning of being CHA; c) developed actions; d) facilities and e) difficulties to work with the families; f) facilities and g) difficulties to work with the team; h) expectations. Out of 339 CHA, 303 answered the questionnaire. It was noticed that 59,4% of them act in Basic Health Unities and 39,3% in Family Health Unities; the majority is formed by young women (90,8% - mean age: 32,5 years) and 86,1% of them had finished the elementary school. The mean time of acting in the health unity, as CHA, was of 27 months and the time of neighborhood living is of 13,8 years. The prevailing professional education is in the health areas (16,2%) and in education (14,3%); 73 of them were studying and most of them in the nursing area. Most of them (90,1%) did not have previous acting as CHA neither had developed community work (78,8%). The main reason for choosing the CHA activity was the unemployment, although few of them were aware of their attributions. The CHA consider themselves as educators and mediators between the health unity and the community. They register overload of work due to the lack of c1arity about their roles to themselves, to the health team, and to the population in general. The CHA develop actions according to the abilities expected from them ... (Complete abstract, click eletronic address below) / Orientador: Antonio Luiz Caldas Júnior / Coorientador: Roseli Ferreira da Silva / Mestre