This is an intervention study conducted in a Unidade Básica de Saúde (Basic Health Unit) in Colombo, Parana, Brazil, from March to November 2009, with 35 carriers of cronic diseases aged between 18 and 60 years, and enrolled in the Hypertension and Diabetes Program. The objectives were to identify their knowledge about arterial hypertension and act through educational group activities. Data were collected though semistructured interviews and four group meetings, and the following categories emerged from the analysis: "Understanding of the disease" and "Ways of caring". It was found that users knew the disease, its risk factors and possible complications, and that educational activities favored the sharing of experiences, provided reflection and the possibility of treatment management. This is a strategy that should be used and promoted by nurses.
Chronic disease; Health education; Nursing