[Meanings and use of educational materials on Hansen disease according to public health officials in the Municipality of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil].

This article reflects on the communications processes in the Hansen Disease Control Programs under the Unified National Health System (SUS) in Brazil, analyzing how professionals at two public health services in Rio de Janeiro perceive the educational materials on the disease. The article discusses how analysis of printed materials favors negotiation of prevailing meanings and practices on Hansen disease in the programs. Thirty-eight different educational materials were analyzed (produced from 1993 to 2005 by governmental and nongovernmental institutions) through two focus groups with program staff. Six materials were examined during the focus groups. The findings showed the communications processes are vertical and fragmented, with an emphasis on campaigns, centralized production of materials, homogenization of target publics, and a focus on biomedical knowledge. Horizontal and participatory activities were uncommon. A gap was identified between the institutionalization of the discourse on Hansen disease as an alternative to leprosy terminology and its circulation and uptake among different social actors.