Adolescente masculino beneficiário do programa bolsa família: conhecimento sobre o programa na família assistida

Abstract

Objective: To identify the knowledge that teenage boys have about the Family Allowance Program (Programa Bolsa Familia) and its impact on the family assisted. Methods: This is a qualitative descriptive and exploratory study conducted between July and September 2014 in a public school in the city of Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil, with 12 teenage boys enrolled in the Family Allowance Program. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and the focus group technique. Data underwent content analysis, which yielded four thematic categories: Support for low-income people; school attendance as the main strategy; lack of priority in health promotion and disease prevention; impact on the families assisted. Results: The results showed that the teenage boys recognize the positive effects of the program on low-income families as it improves their purchasing power and leads to increased school attendance, reducing dropout rates; however, they did not mention that the program aims at health promotion and the support of complementary policies. Conclusion: There is a need to improve the health of the teenage boy enrolled in the Family Allowance Program with a focus on health promotion on a consolidated basis within a predictability perspective in the multiprofessional agenda of Primary Health Care.