Abstract
This article analyzes the form and effects of collecting information on race/color in the research “Racism, knowledge-power relations and psychological suffering”. The research was carried out in a partnership between the Federal Universities of Rio Grande do Sul and Pelotas and the Municipal Health Departments of Porto Alegre and Pelotas, focused on the Basic Care of the Unified Health System (SUS). This is a research developed in conjunction with health professionals. The theoretical-methodological framework is based on social psychology and research-intervention. In total, 580 users were interviewed, and 11 focus groups were held with users and health professionals. The results show that 53% of the interviewed users declared themselves as black, corroborating other studies that demonstrate that SUS’ users are mostly black. In the analysis of the focus groups, we identified three main aspects: (1) there is a difficulty in asking/answering the racial self-declaration; (2) racism is expressed in the collection of information on race/color; (3) health professionals find it difficult to recognize the usefulness of the race/color item for health practices. Thus, it is necessary to strengthen continuous education practices on the relation between racism and health.
Keywords:
Racism; African Continental Ancestry Group; Primary Health Care