Education and health in a region under social vulnerability situation: breakthroughs and challenges for public policies

The objective of this study was to understand the temporal evolution of education and its impact on the health of Grande Bom Jardim (GBJ) population, in Fortaleza, state of Ceara, Brazil, a territory marked by social vulnerability. It was based on qualitative approach with a focus group and semi-structured interviews applied to 45 participants. Content analysis was carried out, which allowed data classification through the thematic analysis technique. The results showed a positive impact on the health of local residents, as a result of the implementation of social policies that reduced the illiteracy rate and provided an improvement in access to school, which plays an important role for the creation of healthy environments in the perspective of health promotion. However, there is still a great demand for quality education as a vehicle for mediating the development of human potential.