Latent class analysis of health risk behaviors among middle school students in Beijing City / 中国学校卫生

ABSTRACT

Objective@#The study was aimed at exploring the latent classes and factors influencing middle school students health risk behaviors in Beijing, so as to provide a scientific basis for determining key intervention targets and formulating relevant intervention measures.@*Methods@#A questionnaire survey was conducted among 17 730 junior middle school, senior high school and vocational high school students in 16 districts of Beijing from October to December 2022. Six types of health risk behaviors were assessed with latent class analysis, including unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, unintentional harm, intentional harm, substance abuse and Internet addiction behavior.@*Results@#The latent classes of health risk behavior among middle school students in Beijing were divided into three classeshigh risk behavior (961 participants, 5.42%), low lack of exercise/high intentional injury (1 099 participants, 6.20%), and low risk behavior (15 670 participants, 88.38%). Disordered multiple Logistic regression analysis indicated that middle school students who were male ( OR =1.45), in high school ( OR =2.00), had other family types ( OR =1.90), possibly had depressed feelings ( OR =2.27), had depressed feelings ( OR =6.18), or were absent from school because of illness in the past year ( OR =1.79) were more likely to be in the high risk than the low risk behavior group. Moreover, middle school students who were male ( OR =2.30), had an extended family ( OR =1.18), had a reorganized family ( OR =1.70), had other family types ( OR =1.94), possibly had depressed feelings ( OR =3.10), had depressed feelings ( OR =4.91), had taken sick leave in the prior 2 weeks ( OR =1.54), or had absence from school because of illness in the past year ( OR =1.71) were relatively more likely to be in the low lack of exercise or high intentional injury group ( P <0.05).@*Conclusion@#Clear latent classes of health risk behaviors among middle school students are found to be present in differing proportions in Beijing. Relevant departments should take targeted intervention measures in a timely manner to reduce the occurrence of health risk behaviors among middle school students.