Young, black, and students: aspects of vulnerability in São Luís do Maranhão, Brazil

Abstract

This article results from a research conducted in a public school in São Luís, Maranhão, Brazil, about aspects that highlight the health vulnerability of young black female high school students. We sought to identify furthermore the importance of the presence of a staff working in public institutions, schools, and basic health units, and non-governmental organizations focused on the school reality of black youth who attend these places. The work was based on researches related to the aspects of ethnic-racial formation of the Brazilian population; the health conditions of the black woman, its grievances and specifics in front of the services provided in public health; and the importance of the role the of school in teaching knowledge related to the health of black female youth. By means of application and analysis of questionnaires, the collected data revealed that the educational activity in school does not sufficiently reach black female youth in terms of sexual health and other health susceptibilities of this population. The school appears as a space for obtaining information related to sexual health.