Physical aggression victimization among Brazilian adolescents: Associated factors and the role of school policies based on 2015 PeNSE data

ABSTRACT Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the prevalence, associated factors, and the relationship between the existence of school violence prevention policies and physical aggression victimization among Brazilian adolescents. Methods: Cross-sectional study based on data from the 2015 National School Health Survey (PeNSE). The sample included 15,954 adolescents aged 11–19 years, enrolled in public and private schools across all regions of Brazil. Victimization was measured through self-reported experiences of physical aggression in the past 12 months. Sociodemographic, behavioral, relational, and schoolrelated variables were analyzed. The association between these variables and victimization was estimated using Poisson regression with robust variance. Results: The prevalence of physical aggression victimization was 17.1%. Factors associated with higher prevalence included male sex, Black or other non-White ethnicities, reports of bullying, alcohol and cigarette use, high screen time, and being physically active. In contrast, older age and having a larger number of friends were protective factors. The presence of integrated actions with primary health care was associated with a lower likelihood of victimization (PR 0.82; 95%CI 0.74–0.90; p<0.001), whereas formal school policies showed no significant association. Conclusions: Physical aggression victimization among adolescents is a relevant and multifactorial problem. Intersectoral actions between health and education have the potential to reduce school violence, whereas isolated policies are ineffective without community engagement and a contextualized approach.