The Ministry of Health proposed to carry out health education groups for people with hypertension and diabetes. Despite the practice in several localities, it frequently faces a lot of limitations. Given this, this study aimed to analyze the factors contributing with the presence of participatory activities in groups formed for people with hypertension and diabetes mellitus. This is a quantitative cross-sectional study performed with professionals of the family health strategy in the municipality of Campo Mourão, Paraná State. For data gathering, it was used a form applied to the professionals. The results revealed that openness to learn from users and the multidisciplinary work of the professionals comprise essential strategies to become the health education groups into spaces for exchange and shared construction of knowledge.
primary health care; health education; chronic disease