Abstract

VERGARA QUINTERO, María del Carmen; VELEZ ALVAREZ, Consuelo; VIDARTE CLAROS, José Armando  and  NIETO RAMIREZ, José Orlando. SOCIAL REPRESENTATIONS THAT GUIDE THE LIFE EXPERIENCE OF SOME YOUTH GROUPS IN THE CITY OF MANIZALES REGARDING RISKS IN 2006. Hacia promoc. Salud [online]. 2007, vol.12, n.1, pp.145-163. ISSN 0121-7577.

The present study is the second phase of a research on the social representations regarding risks that began with a quantitative phase called “Sociodemographic Characterization of the life style of youth of the city of Manizales, belonging to youth groups in 2005.” OBJECTIVE: To understand the social representations regarding risks of the teenagers belonging to youth groups in Manizales in 2006. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A qualitative study with a comprehensive approach, carried out in 2006 with 5 youth groups belonging to different groups of Manizales. Discussion groups and in-depth interviews were carried out, using open questions to understand their conceptions on health, risks, protection factors, risk factors and sources of information that allow teenagers to construct their representations. RESULTS: The representations that youth have regarding risks are associated to a lack of family support, a gender problem, since the problems are usually sex related, and they are often seen as “women” problems and not men’s; women are the ones that should protect themselves, not men. Additionally, teenagers see their peers as the best source of information to recognize and confront risks.

Keywords : Risks; health; risk factors; protection factors; vulnerability; resilience; youth; social representations.

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