Revisiting definitions and natures of intersectoriality: a theoretical essay

• Published in: Ciência & saude coletiva Vol. 27; no. 2; p. 593
• Main Authors: Prado, Nília Maria de Brito Lima, Aquino, Rosana, Hartz, Zulmira Maria de Araújo, Santos, Hebert Luan Pereira Campos Dos, Medina, Maria Guadalupe
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Portuguese
• Published: Brazil 01.02.2022
• Subjects: Health Promotion; Humans
• ISSN: 1678-4561
• DOI: 10.1590/1413-81232022272.47042020

This theoretical essay addresses definitions and central characteristics of intersectoral actions for health. It aims, therefore, to reflect on the knowledge produced about the conceptions and nature of health intersectoral actions. An integrative review was conducted for the construction of the analyses from publications referring to the 2000-2019 period identified in the Lilacs, SciELO, Web of Science, and Science Direct databases. The corpus included 12 papers, with aspects related to the aim, purpose or method of intersectoral action under analysis, outlining similarities and contrasts between definitions. Given the opacity in the construction of definitions, we had to point out a socio-historical construction of the concepts, and that the provisional definitions express a certain blurring or erasure in dispute within the field of health that can lead to different viewpoints and are barriers to include the implementation of intersectoral actions related to health promotion in daily practices. Such reflections derived a set of propositions about the nature of intersectoral health actions that aim to contribute to the debate on the theme.