Representações sociais da saúde para estudantes universitários

Social representations imply explaining reality, guiding action in the world and justifying behaviors. As for social representations of health, they may be associated with social practices. The aim of this study was to understand the social representations of health by university students in health courses at a university in Southern Santa Catarina. It is a qualitative study based on the Theory of Social Representations, carried out through a free word evocation test with 233 students enrolled in a higher education institution. Data analysis was carried out through similarity analysis and prototypical analysis, with the aid of IraMuTeQ software. The results highlight well-being as a central element, also understood by its physical, psychological and social aspects. The understanding linked to the absence of disease was also emphasized by some participants, while others started from the principle of health promotion and prevention. Body care also appears as one of the first elements when university students think about health. Health representations based on pathologies and the absence of disease, focused on the biological factor, were also highlighted