Cluster analysis of youth with risk behaviors

Abstract

Objective To explore the grouping of youth with health risk behaviors and the characteristics of each group, and to provide the basis for improving intervention programs. Methods This study used data from Demonstration Research on Assessment, Warning and Intervention of Youth Risk Behaviors in China, with 249 adolescents being enrolled in the tertiary intervention part of this research. Two step cluster analysis and quick cluster analysis were used together to regroup these enrolled adolescents who had been grouped into four groups. The differences among new groups were examined. Results Kappa consistency test showed high consistency between two solutions of cluster analysis (Kappa=0.861, P<0.001=, which certified the stability of clustering result. The enrolled adolescents were clustered into three groups: impulsive explicit group, high-risk suicide group and diet/sport problem group. The differences were significant among three groups in 7 variables for clustering, including the dimension mean scores of four risk behaviors, the total mean scores of Mental Health Scale of Middle School Students, the total scores of CES-D and the total scores of SAS (F=13.874-125.753, P<0.001=. Sex ratios were significantly different among three groups as well (χ2=59.059, P<0.001=, and male/female ratio of impulsive explicit group was higher than other two groups. Conclusion Cluster analysis can well group youth with health risk behaviors, and intervention programs might be more effective in view of the above grouping. Key words: Risk Behavior; Adolescent; Cluster Analysis