Public Health and Physical Education: divergences and interfaces

Abstract

The article examines divergences and interfaces between the fields of Physical Education (PE) and Public Health (PH) in the Brazilian context, highlighting tensions in the supremacy for scientific authority and competence in line with the concepts of 'scientific field' and 'nuclei of knowledge'. Understanding PH as an institutionalized, legitimized and scientifically consolidated field with three fundamental nuclei: Epidemiology; Social and Human Sciences; and Policy, Planning and Management; we show its approximation to the PE field, resulting in specific knowledge and practices of PE in PH. By stressing risks of a sedentary lifestyle, Epidemiology was the first nucleus of linkage to this new field. Nevertheless, reflections from the Social Sciences broaden the understanding of the PE/PH objects of study by recognizing the multidimensional nature of the corporal culture related to health. However, the Policies nucleus only took shape when physical activity became a priority in a set of policies and programs to combat chronic diseases and promote health. Tensions between the biological and social paradigms define the configuration of the fields and represent a major challenge to be overcome by PE/PH, albeit the critical benchmark in health offers a promising way for overcoming it.