QUILOMBOLA KNOWLEDGE AND SELF-PERCEPTION OF HEALTH: AN ANALYSIS OF THE USE OF FOLK MEDICINE

Abstract

Quilombola populations in the Amazon have a historical relationship with medicinal plants to benefit the health of members of their community. This study aimed to identify self-perception of health, correlating it with the use of folk medicine with medicinal plants, among users from quilombola communities in a city in the west of the state of Pará, Brazil. This is an epidemiological study, with 63 selected households, in two quilombola communities located in the floodplain region. The data were collected through a health survey and were analyzed using the SPSS program. It was observed that the majority of interviewees consider their health status to be “Good” (55.56%), in their personal history of illnesses, parasites (20.49%) and high blood pressure (14.75%) stood out. , in the family history of people who live with the interviewee, high blood pressure (14.17%) and diabetes mellitus (12.60%) prevailed. Regarding the use of alternative practices, 83.87% use some plant or herb, without seeking care from a health professional. Of the alternative practices, lemon balm tea (24.73%) and lemongrass tea (22.58%) were the most mentioned. There was an association between the use of teas/herbs and positive self-rated health (p= 0.020). It is concluded that self-perception of health was not negatively affected, despite the majority of individuals reporting a personal history of chronic diseases. The association between the use of medicinal herb teas and a positive self-assessment of health reinforces the thesis that alternative practices should be motivated among quilombola communities, as long as they are guided by health professionals.