Abstract
The purpose of this article is to reconstruct the route taken by Colombian public policies in relation to care for one's own health, and its relation with young males and masculinities, from 1950 to 2000. It identifies as a central issue the fact that these policies have been designed around the discourse of economic growth and the positioning of the male as the main labor force in the country. In this sense a device was established with two fundamental mechanisms for promoting care for oneself: mechanisms to protect productive capacity; and mechanisms with peripheral effects. The connection with males is implicit in public policies, while they have as their main focus the population groups considered to be vulnerable, such as women and children.
Keywords:
Adult youth; Masculinities; Care for oneself; Public health.