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Updated: Sep 27, 2025

Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
"I'm an adult now": Health risk behaviors and identifying as an adult
Elizabeth Culatta1, Jody Clay-Warner2
1Augusta University, Augusta, GA, USA.
Abstract:
Is identifying as an adult associated with lower rates of participation in risky behaviors? This study focuses on how identity affects health behaviors for young adults. We use an original sample of over 500 18- to 29-year-olds in the United States to explore how self-identification as an adult is associated with three clusters of health risk behaviors: substance use, risky sexual behavior, and risky driving behavior. Consistent with our predictions, we find that viewing oneself as an adult is associated with lower levels of participation in each of the health risk behavior outcomes.
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