[Social representations of community health agents regarding drug use]

This paper discusses on the social representations of community health agents (CHAs) about drug use as part of a qualitative, ethnographic study with data collected by means of a set of research techniques among health professionals including 22 CHAs in a basic health unit in Salvador, Bahia (Brazil) from January, 2006 to January, 2007. The Theory of Social Representations was adopted as the theoretical framework whereas gender was the chosen analytical category. CHAs were found to recognize the women's proximity and participation in the drug phenomenon in the community where they live and act, although they take no professional measures towards such an issue. Their social representations were shown to reproduce stereotypes and prejudices towards drug users and drug use, especially gender- and social class-related, while highlighting the invisibility of drug use as a health problem for the population under study.