title: The causes of bullying: results from the National Survey of School Health (PeNSE).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  to identify the characteristics and reasons reported by Brazilian students for school bullying.
  
  
  METHODS
  this cross-sectional study uses data from an epidemiological survey (National Survey of School Health) conducted in 2012. A total of 109,104 9th grade students from private and public schools participated. Data were collected through a self-applied questionnaire and the analysis was performed using SPSS, version 20, Complex Samples Module.
  
  
  RESULTS
  the prevalence of bullying was 7.2%, most frequently affecting Afro-descendant or indigenous younger boys, whose mothers were characterized by low levels of education. In regard to the reasons/causes of bullying, 51.2% did not specify; the second highest frequency of victimization was related to body appearance (18.6%); followed by facial appearance (16.2%); race/color (6.8%); sexual orientation 2.9%; religion 2.5%; and region of origin 1.7%. The results are similar to those found in other sociocultural contexts.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  the problem belongs to the health field because it gathers aspects that determine the students' health-disease-care continuum.
authors.affiliation: Escola de Enfermagem de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Wanderlei Abadio
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Escola de Enfermagem de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marta Angélica Iossi
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Escola de Enfermagem de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Flávia Carvalho Malta
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: de Mello
authors.affiliation: Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde, Ministério da Saúde, Brasília, DF, Brazil.
authors.forename: Denise Lopes
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Porto
authors.affiliation: Escola de Enfermagem de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Andréa Cristina Mariano
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Yoshinaga
authors.affiliation: Escola de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Deborah Carvalho
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Malta
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D058445:Bullying; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012572:School Health Services