ADOLESCENCE ON THE AGENDA

MEANINGS OF ADOLESCENCE AND STRATEGIES FOR RECEPTION AND MONITORING ADOLESCENT-FAMILY HEALTH CONDITIONS FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF FAMILY HEALTH STRATEGY PROFESSIONALS

Abstract

Objective: To understand, from the perspective of Family Health Strategy (FHS) professionals, the meanings attributed to adolescence, as well as the strategies for welcoming and monitoring the health conditions of adolescents and families in daily professional practice. Method: Exploratory descriptive study, with a qualitative approach, which analyzed 13 interviews carried out with professionals from the FHS in Divinópolis, Minas Gerais, Brazil. To process the data produced in the study corpus, the content analysis proposed by Bardin was adopted. Results: The results showed that, in the perception of ESF professionals, the understanding of adolescence is permeated by the definition of the age group, hormonal and psychosocial changes. Dependence on social networks presented itself as one of the main challenges during this life cycle. No specific planning and health actions aimed at adolescents and their families were reported, but rather individual health care initiatives to meet the demands of this group. Conclusion: The study contributes to deepening the theme of adolescence in care actions by the ESF team. The construction of collective strategies to cover this public, seeking to qualify care based on the principles of the Unified Health System, through interprofessional health practices that meet the needs of the population, are recommended. In training, the reorganization of the curricula of undergraduate health courses by life cycle is encouraged, with a focus on adolescent health care. Additional studies are expected, seeking to expand the number of ESF and including adolescents and families as research participants.