OBJECTIVE: To understand the significance of healthy living for users, professionals and managers of the Family Health Strategy (FHS) team. METHODS: Research of a qualitative nature, based on grounded theory. For data collection, interviews were conducted with 25 participants, including users, professionals and managers of a FHS team, during the period between March and December, 2009. RESULTS: The collection and analysis of data was conducted in a systematic and comparative manner, demonstrating that healthy living can be characterized as a self-organizing process, mediated by the action of the FHS team professionals, especially by the community health agent, through creation of bonds of trust and stimulation of interactions and community associations. CONCLUSION: We concluded that healthy living is a singular phenomenon, complex, interactive, associative, political and social, coupled with the active involvement and participation of the users and by the engagement of effective and socially responsible professionals, managers and established political authorities.
Qualitative research; Vulnerable groups; Community health nursing