Latent Mean Analysis of Health Behavior between Adolescents with a Health Problem and Those without: Using the 2009 Korean Youth Health Behavior Survey

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the construct equivalence of the general five factors of health behavior and to compare the latent means between adolescents with a health problem and those without in Korea. METHODS: The 2009 KYRBS (Korean Youth Risk Behavior Survey) data were used for the analysis. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis was performed to test whether the scale had configural, metric, and scalar invariances across the existence of health problems in adolescents. RESULTS: Configural, metric, and factor invariances were satisfied for the latent mean analysis (LMA) between adolescents with health problem and those without. Adolescents with health problem and those without were not different in the LMA of all factors. CONCLUSION: Health providers should give more interest to the group of adolescents with health problems and consider prudential school life to the same group.