Old age and elderly people: social representations of adolescent students.

OBJECTIVE to know the main elements of social representations about elderly people and old age among adolescents at a public high school. METHOD 172 adolescents between 14 and 19 years of age participated. The free evocation of words technique was applied through the terms elderly and old age. RESULTS The main elements of the representations significantly designed for elderly people were: respect and disrespect, 78; experience, 49; care, 32; wisdom, 23; fragility, 19. For old age: disease, 51; retirement, 27; experience, 27; wisdom, 19; wrinkles, 17. The social representations of adolescents are strongly marked by physical, psychological and social aspects, with positive and negative aspects about old age. CONCLUSION Participatory health education activities are needed to make adolescents critically reflect on and the condition of elderly people in contemporary society.