Adolescents in High-Risk Trajectory: Clustering of Risky Behavior and the Origins of Socioeconomic Health Differentials

doi:10.1006/pmed.1996.0130

Preventive Medicine

Volume 26, Issue 2, March 1997, Pages 215-219

https://doi.org/10.1006/pmed.1996.0130 Get rights and content

Abstract

Background.We have evaluated high-risk behavior of adolescents 12 to 17 years of age on the basis of seven binomial psychosocial variables in order to assess whether there is a tendency of these variables to cluster in the same individuals and to identify socioeconomic covariates of risky behavior.

Methods.Study participants were 547 adolescents from four high schools in Greece: two in rural areas, one in an upper-medium socioeconomic class area, and one in a low-to-medium socioeconomic class area of Athens. Clustering was assessed by evaluating concordance of high-risk attributes examined in pairs, and was expressed as a series of odds ratios (ORs) as well as by factor analysis.

Results.All but one OR were higher than the null value, but they were particularly high with respect to smoking and nonuse of safety belts (OR = 3.2,P< 10⁻⁴), smoking and binge drinking (OR = 3.3,P< 10⁻⁴), smoking and riding with a drunk driver (OR = 5.3,P= 10⁻⁴), smoking and driving under the influence of alcohol (OR = 9.7,P< 10⁻⁴), nonuse of oral contraceptives and riding a car with a drunk driver (OR = 15.4,P= 0.002), and driving under the influence of alcohol and riding with a drunk driver (OR = 18.6,P< 10⁻⁴). Factor analysis indicated that risky behavior could be explained in terms of two component factors, namely carelessness in the context of self interest and irresponsible sexual behavior. A composite index integrating information of all seven high-risk indicators regressed on sociodemographic characteristics showed that risky behavior increased sharply with age and was concentrated strongly in the low-education families and the lower income areas.

Conclusions.Several aspects of high-risk behavior tend to aggregate in the same individuals, and the clustering pattern has already been developed by late adolescence, mostly among the less privileged families and population groups. It appears that socioeconomic class health differentials may have strong roots in late adolescence.

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^☆: This study was supported in part by WHO-Euro, the Hellenic Ministry of Health and Welfare, and the Foundation for Research in Childhood “S. Doxiadis”

^☆☆: S, C, FreinsteinP, L, GionachinA, A, Miller, editors

^†: Deceased.

²: To whom correspondence and reprint requests should be addressed at the Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02115. Fax: (617) 566-7805.

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Regular ArticleAdolescents in High-Risk Trajectory: Clustering of Risky Behavior and the Origins of Socioeconomic Health Differentials☆,☆☆

Abstract

J Adolesc Health

Public Health

Ann Epidemiol

Pediatr Clin North Am

J Adolesc Health

Addict Behav

Adolescence: struggling through the doldrums

“Out of control” behavior in adolescents

Pediatr Clin North Am

Epidemiology of trauma in a population of incarcerated youth

Pediatrics

At the threshold: the developing adolescent

Substance abuse, risky behavior and victimization among a U.S. national adolescent sample

Addiction

Structure of problem behavior in adolescence and young adulthood

J Consult Clin Psychol

The epidemiology of adolescent behavior problems

Br Med Bull

Health aspects of demographic developments in Europe in the 1990's [in Greek with English summary]

Iatriki

Pregnancy and child bearing

Risking the future: adolescent sexuality, pregnancy and child bearing

Epidemiology and prevention of adolescent injury: a review and research agenda

JAMA

Health consequences of behaviors: injury as a model

Pediatrics

Alcohol use, liberal conservative orientation and ethnicity as predictors of sexual behaviors

J Acquired Immune Defic Syndr Hum Retrovirol

MMWR

Statistical methods in medical research

Psychometric theory

Epidemiology: principles, methods, applications

Epidemiology: principles, methods

Regular Article
Adolescents in High-Risk Trajectory: Clustering of Risky Behavior and the Origins of Socioeconomic Health Differentials☆,☆☆