A factor analytic approach to understanding health risk behaviors and resilience among multi-racial/ethnic adolescents in New Mexico

• Published in: Ethnicity & health Vol. 27; no. 7; pp. 1652 - 1670
• Main Authors: Simmons, Jeremiah D., Smith, Jane Ellen, Erickson, Sarah J., Warner, Teddy D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Taylor & Francis 03-10-2022; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescents; Alcohol use; American Indian; American Indians; Cannabis; Community involvement; Confirmatory factor analysis; Design factors; Drug abuse; Ethnic factors; Ethnic groups; Ethnicity; Factor analysis; Family support; Habits; Health behavior; Health promotion; Health risk assessment; health risk behaviors; Health risks; Health status; hispanic; Hispanic Americans; Hispanic people; Indicators; Intervention; Marijuana; Minority & ethnic groups; Morbidity; Mortality; Multiculturalism & pluralism; Nutrition; Physical activity; Population studies; Psychosocial factors; Resilience; Risk behavior; Risk factors; Risk taking; Sexual behavior; Substance abuse; substance use; Teenagers; United States > US; New Mexico
• ISSN: 1355-7858; 1465-3419
• DOI: 10.1080/13557858.2021.1925227

This study examined the factor validity of health risk behaviors and resilience indicators and their covariation across a large racially/ethnically diverse adolescent population.
The study subsample (47% Hispanic, 31% White Non-Hispanic, 17% American Indian) was derived from the 2013 New Mexico Youth Risk Resilience Survey (YRRS; N-19,033). We conducted a confirmatory factor analysis on the 6 health risk domains identified by the CDC as contributing most to adolescent morbidity/mortality: (1) cigarette use, (2) alcohol and other illicit drug use, (3) marijuana use, (4) sexual activity, (5) nutrition habits, and (6) physical activity.
A 4-factor CFA model of adolescent health risk behaviors was replicated, and a hypothesized 6-factor structure based on behaviors that contribute most to adolescent morbidity/mortality was confirmed. The pattern of covarying risk behaviors differed by Hispanic, Native American, and Non-Hispanic White groups. We also confirmed a single external resilience-interference factor (decreased parental support, low school/community engagement, negative peer associations) that positively correlated with all six risk behaviors.
This study described the structure of adolescent health risk behaviors within a context of psychosocial resilience for American Indian and Hispanic adolescents in contrast to Non-Hispanic White adolescents. Our findings provided evidence for the construct validity of six health-risk behavior dimensions within a large racially/ethnically diverse adolescent sample, which reveal different patterns of loadings, degrees of model fit, and factor inter-correlations across the three racial/ethnic groups. Patterns of covarying risk behaviors differed in strength and direction by racial/ethnic group. Results suggest that interventions should target multiple behaviors and be tailored for different racial/ethnic groups. Targeting health risk and resilience indicators supports the use of multi-level health interventions at the individual, school, family, and community level by identifying individuals based on external resilience scores.