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Stability and Change in Health Behavior Profiles of U.S. Adults
Sarah A Burgard1, Katherine Y P Lin2, Brian D Segal3
1Department of Sociology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Adult health behavior profiles, including tobacco and alcohol use and body mass index (BMI), show significant stability over time. Most transitions lead to weight gain or mortality, particularly in obese and nondrinker profiles.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Behavioral Science
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Understanding how health behaviors cluster and change over time is crucial for public health interventions.
- Limited research exists on the long-term stability and transitions between health behavior profiles in U.S. adults.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess patterns of stability and change in health behavior profiles (tobacco use, alcohol consumption, BMI) among U.S. adults as they age.
- To identify common health behavior profiles and their transitions over time.
- To examine the association between health behavior profiles and mortality risk.
Main Methods:
- Utilized latent transition analysis (LTA) on a nationally representative cohort of U.S. adults (age 25+) interviewed up to 5 times between 1986 and 2011.
- Characterized 5 distinct health behavior profiles: 'health promoting,' 'overweight,' 'current smokers,' 'obese,' and 'nondrinkers.'
Main Results:
- Profile membership demonstrated considerable stability, with most transitions occurring towards weight gain or mortality.
- The 'obese' profile exhibited the highest stability, while 'current smokers' were most prone to transitioning to other profiles.
- Higher mortality rates were observed in the 'obese' and 'nondrinker' profiles.
Conclusions:
- Health behavior profiles tend to be established relatively early in adulthood, with stability outweighing transition.
- While baseline distributions differed between sexes, men and women exhibited similar transition patterns.
- Findings highlight the persistent nature of certain health behaviors and their differential impact on mortality risk.
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