Health is a phenomenon that becomes different according to biological, cultural, environmental, social and historical aspects, and to the way that each human being spends their life. This study aimed to investigate the health conception of elderly people living in an urban environment. It is a descriptive research with a sample of 17 elderly people. Data were collected by means of a semi-structured interview. The data analysis showed that the health conception was centered on the maintenance of independence, on the family's support and on feeling responsible for the way they live their life. Seeing him/herself as an actor of the process of living and ageing shows that elderly people assume their co-responsibility for their current health condition; this is evidence of change in social and political behavior, from a reactive to a pro-active condition in the process of life.
Health; Elderly; Urban environment