Physical activity and corporal practices from the perspective of Health Promotion in Primary Care

The scope of this article is to make a critical reflection on the institutionalization and enhancement process of corporal practices and physical activity as Health Promotion actions in Primary Care in the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS). To examine the configuration of this form of care and course of action, which has emerged and is becoming consolidated in public health, a brief historical review of the process of standardizing and implementing Health Promotion in the SUS was conducted, in order to reveal data on corporal practices and physical activity. Lastly, there is a critical analysis of interactions, interfaces and divergences arising between corporal practices and physical activities and the theoretical frameworks of Health Promotion. It is argued that part of the problem lies in the production of knowledge that overlooks the epistemological aspects of the relationship between corporal practices and physical activities. The conclusion drawn is that despite the exponential growth in the availability of these actions, it is still not possible to say that this form of care can be characterized as Health Promotion, as it would be necessary for some principles to be observed for this to occur, such as empowerment, social participation, autonomy, equity, completeness, among others.