Deaf people's knowledge and information sources regarding health and disease

The aim of this study was to comprehend deaf people's knowledge of health and disease and their information sources. It was a descriptive study with a qualitative approach, conducted in a public referral institution for caring for people with disabilities in the state of Paraiba. Interviews were conducted individually, in sign language, with 11 deaf people who were chosen using the speech content saturation method. The data were analyzed using content analysis. From the discourse, the following categories emerged: health-disease process and health information sources. The deaf people interviewed in this study presented limited knowledge of the health-disease process. The subjects placed value on doctors as indispensable to the health-disease process. Some deaf people displayed lack of knowledge about health because of poor and inefficient sources that provide primary information without depth of content, and therefore demanded greater opportunities.