Abstract
BackgroundExperimentation with new behaviours during adolescence is normal. However, engagement in two or more risk behaviours, termed multiple risk behaviours is associated with socioeconomic disadvantage and poor health and social outcomes. Evidence of how adolescents cluster based on their risk behaviours is mixed.MethodsLatent Class Analysis was used to study patterns of engagement in 10 self-reported risk behaviours (including substance use, self-harm and sexual health) from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) cohort at ages 15–16 years. Data was available for 6556 adolescents. Associations between risk profile and sex were explored.ResultsA 3-class model for both females and males was deemed to have acceptable fit. Whilst we found evidence of a sex difference in the risk behaviours reported within each class, the sex-specific results were very similar in many respects. For instance, the prevalence of membership of the high-risk class was 8.5% for males and 8.7% for females and both groups had an average of 5.9 behaviours. However, the classes were both statistically dubious, with class separation (entropy) being poor as well as conceptually problematic, because the resulting classes did not provide distinct profiles and varied only by quantity of risk-behaviours.ConclusionClusters of adolescents were not characterised by distinct risk behaviour profiles, and provide no additional insight for intervention strategies. Given this is a more complicated, software-specific method, we conclude that an equally effective, but more readily replicable approach is to use a count of the number of risk behaviours.
Highlights
Experimentation with new behaviours during adolescence is normal
We aimed to explore the utility of a latent class approach to investigate patterns of multiple risk behaviours (MRB) using the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) cohort with a view to informing future public health interventions
We have shown in a previous analysis that despite individual risk behaviours patterning differently according to sex, females and males engaged in a similar number of MRB [26]
Summary
Experimentation with new behaviours during adolescence is normal. engagement in two or more risk behaviours, termed multiple risk behaviours is associated with socioeconomic disadvantage and poor health and social outcomes. There is growing interest in addressing adolescent multiple risk behaviours (MRB) [1]. Studies have shown that adolescents involved in one risk behaviour are more likely to be involved in others [3,4,5]. This can apply both between substances (tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs) and between substance use and other behaviours such as sexual risk, self-harm and antisocial behaviour [5]. Evidence indicates that universal school-based interventions targeting MRB are most efficacious in preventing tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, illicit drug use, antisocial behaviour and increasing physical activity among young people. Evidence was less conclusive for cannabis use, sexual risk and unhealthy diet [2]
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