In this paper we tried to understand the meaning adolescents, ages 11 to 13 years, attribute to health and who they consider their health care agent. The study was carried out among students from public and private schools, in the cities of Sapucaia do Sul and Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul State. Information was collected through a semi-structured questionnaire. The answers indicated that the youngsters from the public school consider the family their health care agent, while in the private school they said it was their mothers. It was also noticed that for public school students, health is related with mental and physical welfare, while for students from the private institution it is the absence of illness only. Such findings help better understand the adolescents' health perceptions, identifying their health care agent and subsidizing educational and sanitary practices.
adolescence; health; care
