Qualitative methodological pathway for developing the Instructive for the Obesity Management in the SUS, 2018-2020

Area of Science:

• Public Health Nutrition
• Health Policy Development
• Behavioral Science in Health

Background:

• Obesity management within Brazil's Unified Health System (SUS) requires tailored instructional materials.
• Adapting the Brazilian Dietary Guidelines is a strategic approach for developing relevant health interventions.
• Collective approaches are crucial for effective obesity management in public health settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To detail the methodological pathway for creating and validating an Instructive for obesity management in SUS.
• To focus on food and nutrition actions within the scope of collective health approaches.
• To adapt existing Brazilian Dietary Guidelines for practical application in obesity care.

Main Methods:

• Expert workshops were conducted in 2018 and 2019 for proposal evaluation and validation.
• A dynamic carousel facilitated expert input from management, academia, and SUS health services.
• Exploratory content analysis with predefined theoretical frameworks guided material development, resolving divergences through consensus.

Main Results:

• The first workshop confirmed the need for collective approach materials and defined theoretical frameworks.
• The second workshop resolved conceptual issues and consolidated the care flow for obesity management.
• The final Instructive integrated a problem-posing methodology and the transtheoretical model for enhanced adherence and effectiveness.

Conclusions:

• The Instructive's development followed a rigorous scientific research trajectory.
• This process successfully created instructional materials based on the Brazilian Dietary Guidelines.
• The validated Instructive offers a structured approach to obesity management within the SUS framework.