In order to verify the prevalence of health workers' participation in health practices in the community, a cross-sectional study was conducted with 3,743 primary care health workers in 41 municipalities with more than 100 thousand inhabitants each in South and Northeast Brazil. Overall prevalence of participation in the community was 62.7%, and was significantly higher in the Northeast and in the Family Health Program (FHP). The most common practice was health education on special holidays, in talks, and in groups. There was a positive association between participation and: female gender, training in the management of chronic diseases, use of protocols, satisfaction with community meetings, and academic health services. Differences in the prevalence of participation by region and health care model reaffirmed the inherent expectations in the historical context of reorganization of primary care. The results indicate that it is necessary to expand participation by health workers in the community, considering that primary care is the level of care that provides the best possibilities for promoting health practices with equity.