14 The purpose of this program is to contribute to the formation of students through prevention, promotion, and health care actions. Among the objectives LEE011 chemical structure of the PSE are promoting health and a culture of peace, strengthening

the prevention of health problems, and reinforcing the ability to cope with vulnerabilities that could affect full school development.15 The importance of the investigation on bullying focuses on identifying factors that favor its emergence and maintenance, so that policies can be undertaken to reduce their impact; thus, studies are needed for a better understanding of the issue and for developing more effective health promotion and bullying prevention actions.16 The absence of information on bullying and self-esteem in the schools of Olinda/PE indicates the need for studies aimed at understanding ZD6474 this phenomenon, in order to establish a baseline that will allow for a longitudinal follow-up of the problem and aid the planning of health surveillance actions, including the implementation of an information system for school violence. This study aimed to perform a situational analysis

of bullying in municipal schools in the city of Olinda, state of Pernambuco, Brazil that participated in the PSE, correlating bullying to the sociodemographic situation of those involved and the self-esteem level of students. This study was performed in public schools participating in the PSE in the city of Olinda, state of Pernambuco, from June to November of 2012. Olinda is located in the Metropolitan Region of Recife, 6 km from the capital, and has a population of 377,779 inhabitants (16.41%

adolescents), occupying an area of 41.66 km2. There are 46 Elementary and Middle public schools, and 17,875 students are enrolled; the illiteracy rate in individuals older than 15 years is 9.3%.17 There are currently 43 schools participating in the PSE, introduced in 2009, distributed among the ten political and administrative regions (regiões politico-administrativas – RPAs) of the city, establishing 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase communication channels to ensure the development of actions and expand its outreach to students and families. This was a cross-sectional study, a design recommended for estimates of event frequencies and associated factors in specific populations, which is low cost, can be quickly performed, and is objective in data collection.18 The study population consisted of 8th graders (equivalent last year of Middle School in Brazil is the ninth), enrolled in schools participating in the PSE, identified in the list of schools and regular students in the databases of the Municipal Education Secretariat. The choice of school year was based on the influence of more years of schooling on the understanding of the assessed issues. The participants were selected by multistage probability sample.