Resumen

ROBLEDO-MARTINEZ, Rocío  y  AGUDELO-CALDERON, Carlos A.. An approach to the theoretical construction of healthcare promotion. Rev. salud pública [online]. 2011, vol.13, n.6, pp. 1031-1050. ISSN 0124-0064.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0124-00642011000600015.

Definitions of healthcare promotion were examined from the theory of knowledge regarding its ontological and epistemological aspects as considered by several paradigms. Three-phase periodisation was used. The first distancing regarding the positivist paradigm and healthcare promotion through definitions of public health was made during the background phase (1920-1973). The promotion of healthcare acquired its own identity and became explicit policy in the midst of scenarios involving the confluence of paradigms during the foundational phase (1974-1986). Positivist and non-positivist paradigms became broadly articulated during the consolidation phase (1987-2008), becoming extended to methodological aspects.

Palabras llave : Health promotion; knowledge; epistemology; public health.