Práctica-teoría-práctica transformada de una experiencia de participación comunitaria en el control de Aedes aegypt

objective: to characterize the approach to community involvement in the aedes aegypti control by using the experience from two case researches on this topic and the theoretical/methodological fundamentals of their development. methods: an instrumental case study was conducted in which the analysis of two particular cases of community involvement in aedes aegypti control was included. the first case described the experience from the health area "26 de julio" in playa municipality on the basis of a retrospective analysis of documents from 1999 to 2004. for the second case, available data on the evaluation of a community-based assay carried out in lisa municipality from 2004 to 2007 were assessed. results: the experience in the first case research evolved from a utilitarian and external intervention to a community learning and empowering process with respect to vector control actions. in the second research experience, a participatory strategy was implemented using the popular education concept that exceeded the learning acquired in the previous experience. conclusions: in order to transform the practice of health professionals in charge of promoting community involvement in aedes aegypti control, it is urgent to change the theoretical and methodological concepts supporting this practice.