Assess whether adolescent health risk behaviors cluster, and whether resiliency factors
are associated with observed clusters.
The cross-sectional population-weighted 2003 California Health Interview Survey was
used (N=4010). Four gender-specific clusters were based on smoking, alcohol use, low
fruit/vegetables consumption, and physical inactivity. Resiliency factors included
parental supervision, parental support, role model presence and adolescent mental
health. Conditional regression was used to measure the association of individual health
risk behaviors and clusters with resiliency factors.
Health risk behaviors clustered as follows: "Salutary Adherents" (no reported health
risk behaviors), "Active Snackers" (physically active, low fruit/vegetable consumers),
"Sedentary Snackers" (physically inactive, low fruit/vegetable consumers), and "Risk
Takers" (smokers, alcohol users, many also physically inactive and low fruit/vegetable
consumers). Greater parental supervision was associated with lower odds of being in
unhealthful clusters. Among males, having greater parental support reduced odds of
being an "Active Snacker" or "Sedentary Snacker." Among females, role model presence
reduced odds of being in unhealthful clusters, while depressiveness increased the
odds.
Health promoting interventions should address multiple health risk behaviors in an
integrated fashion. Gender-specific, ethnically-targeted, family-centered strategies
that address parenting, particularly parental supervision would be useful. Addressing
depressiveness may be especially important for female adolescents.