Mapping youth occupations: Notes on the integration of young people into territorially based health services in Brazil

In response to the challenge of increasing young people’s access to primary healthcare services, this study aimed to identify the places in the city of Vitória, Brazil, that they frequent and where they engage in their occupations. Participatory methodologies were employed—specifically, activity-based workshops and the photovoice technique—with the aim of supporting the health service in mapping the presence of young people and providing a basis for intervention strategies that are more closely contextualized to the reality of the youth in the locality. Six sessions were held between September and November 2023, involving eight young participants aged 12 to 16 years, all residing in two distinct neighbourhoods within the coverage area of the healthcare unit. The data were explored through thematic content analysis, from which three central themes emerged: (1) the places where young people carry out their occupations—these were found to occur predominantly in one of the neighbourhoods where they live and were mainly leisure-related occupations conducted in groups; (2) their relationship with the healthcare service—the findings indicate that young people do not feel at ease in the unit, attending it only in cases of established illness or emergencies, and that the team lacks the specific expertise required to work effectively with this population; and (3) proposals for health services working with young people—highlighting the importance of understanding youth occupations, their spaces and territories, as a means of reaffirming the centrality of occupation and place in everyday life, thereby enabling more appropriate and context-sensitive care practices.