Participatory methodology as an instrument for the territorialization of Environmental Surveillance actions

Abstract This paper aims to show a health territorialization methodology built from the experiences of endemic control and environmental health agents in the Metropolitan Region of Recife (RMR). Ten workshops were held with the participation of three hundred Health Surveillance agents and supervisors working in four municipalities of the RMR. Techniques such as the application of questionnaires, interviews and directed discussions were used. Results indicate that the incorporation of geographical concepts to consolidate Health Surveillance field actions is incipient. The territory is predominantly adopted from an administrative perspective, and territorialization is used as a simple territorial division for the development of actions. However, there is an understanding and consensus of the need to understand the geographic knowledge, a fact that was expressed by the rich collective construction of a participatory territorialization model that should involve a range of social stakeholders. We concluded that, in practice, surveillance agents have significant abilities to participate in the territorial management and territorialization process, not only collecting data, but also mainly intervening for the collective well-being.