Time use in areas of ocuppation of adolescents inserted in a public school

Abstract

The adolescence is characterized by the transition from puberty into adulthood and is influenced by socio-cultural contexts and psycho-biological processes. This process will be considered as less ambiguous as more positive experiences the adolescents have when carrying out different activities. The characterization of the adolescents' time use will provide for the construction of scenarios where potential focus of actions can be identified, arousing their development and health promotion. The aim was to identify the time used in activities of a group of adolescents inserted in the state teaching system in a medium-sized city in Minas Gerais, Brazil. A retrospective, transversal and quantitative study was carried out with 56 working-class adolescents enrolled in two state primary schools. Data collected in a time use chart was classified in: Activities of Daily Living (ADL), Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL), Sleep and Rest, Leisure and Free Time Activities, and Work and Education. The analysis was conducted in terms of frequency and measures of centrality. We observed that, the longest time was used in sleep and rest, whereas education and leisure / free time, presented a shorter time. The study reveals signs that may be related to deprivation scenarios and occupational imbalance, particularly concerning education and leisure, which may have negative effects in the adolescents' health and quality of life.