title: [The representations of adolescents about gynecological consultation].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the social representation of adolescents about gynecological consultation and the influence of those in searching for consultations.
  
  
  METHODS
  Qualitative descriptive study based on the Social Representations Theory, conducted with 50 adolescents in their last year of middle school. The data was collected between April and May of 2010 by Evocations and a Focal Group. The software EVOC and contextual analysis were used in the data treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The elements fear and constraint, constant in the central nucleus, can justify the low frequency of adolescents in consultations. The term embarrassment in the peripheral system reinforce current sociocultural norms, while prevention, associated with learning about sex and clarifying doubts, allows to envision an educative function. Obtained testimonies in the focal groups exemplify and reinforce those findings.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  For an effective health education, professionals, including nurses, need to clarify the youth individually and collectively about their rights to privacy, secrecy, in addition to focus the gynecological consultation as a promotion measure to sexual and reproductive health.
authors: Nursing School, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Rio Grande, RS, Brazil, vlogomes@terra.com.br.
authors: Vera Lúcia de Oliveira
authors: VL
authors: Gomes
authors: Nursing School, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Rio Grande, RS, Brazil.
authors: Adriana Dora da
authors: AD
authors: Fonseca
authors: Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors: Denize Cristina de
authors: DC
authors: Oliveira
authors: Nursing Graduate Program, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Rio Grande, RS, Brazil.
authors: Camila Daiane
authors: CD
authors: Silva
authors: Nursing Graduate Program, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Rio Grande, RS, Brazil.
authors: Daniele Ferreira
authors: DF
authors: Acosta
authors: Nursing Graduate Program, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Rio Grande, RS, Brazil.
authors: Fabiani Weiss
authors: FW
authors: Pereira
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D058869:Gynecological Examination / Q000523:psychology*; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012736:Sex Education