Adolescentes e o processo de identificação de gênero: dados de um projeto de educação em saúde em uma escola pública em Sergipe-Brasil

Abstract

Introduction: Adolescence is chronologically defined in the range of 10 to 19 years and represents a phase of constant transformations, questions, curiosities in the present and anxieties about the future that often are seldom perceives by the health professionals. One of the most highlighted issues in this group is related to gender identity and sexual orientation and the discussions about the LGBTQ+ nuances. Methods: Research and extension project developed by medical students and professors of the Federal University of Sergipe involving adolescents from a public school in Aracaju, Sergipe. A questionnaire was applied before and after playful, constructive and interventionist activities, with gender identity and expression themes, whose answers, chosen from among 5 alternatives proposed for each question, were compared. We also considered the impressions of adolescents, informed through answers to open questions. Results: The mean age was 16 years, and the majority of participants were from the female sex. There was a slight increase in the number of right answers after interventions on all issues. Conclusion: It was observed that students already had previous information on the topic addressed, suggesting that these issues should be addressed earlier in the school and in a conscious and inclusive way both by the school institutions and different sectors of health.