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BMC Public Health
Published in: BMC Public Health 1/2015

Open Access 01-12-2015 | Research article

A cross-sectional survey and latent class analysis of the prevalence and clustering of health risk factors among people attending an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service

Authors: Natasha E Noble, Christine L Paul, Nicole Turner, Stephen V Blunden, Christopher Oldmeadow, Heidi E Turon

Published in: BMC Public Health | Issue 1/2015

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Abstract

Background

Indigenous Australians are a socially disadvantaged group who experience significantly poorer health and a higher prevalence of modifiable health behaviours than other Australians. Little is known about the clustering of health risks among Indigenous Australians.
The aims of this study were to describe the clustering of key health risk factors, such as smoking, physical inactivity and alcohol consumption, and socio-demographics associated with clusters, among a predominantly Aboriginal sample.

Methods

Participants (n = 377) attending an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service (ACCHS) in regional/rural New South Wales, Australia, in 2012–2013 completed a self-report touch screen health risk survey. Clusters were identified using latent class analysis.

Results

Cluster 1 (‘low fruit/vegetable intake, lower risk’; 51 %) consisted of older men and women; Cluster 2 (‘risk taking’; 22 %) included younger unemployed males with a high prevalence of smoking, risky alcohol, and illicit drug use. Cluster 3 (‘inactive, overweight, depressed’; 28 %) was characterised by younger to mid aged women likely to have experienced emotional or physical violence.

Conclusions

If future research identifies similar stable clusters of health behaviours for this population, intervention approaches targeting these clusters of risk factors should be developed and tested for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.
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Metadata
Title
A cross-sectional survey and latent class analysis of the prevalence and clustering of health risk factors among people attending an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service
Authors
Natasha E Noble
Christine L Paul
Nicole Turner
Stephen V Blunden
Christopher Oldmeadow
Heidi E Turon
Publication date
01-12-2015
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Public Health / Issue 1/2015
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2458
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-015-2015-8

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