Clustering of risk behaviours for oral and general health.

UNLABELLED: While it is recognised that risk behaviours for general health tend to cluster among individuals, it is less clear whether risk behaviours for oral health co-occur among these same individuals.
OBJECTIVES: To describe the distribution of health-relevant behaviours in a population sample, to examine whether oral and general risk behaviours cluster among individuals and to identify population groups with a shared risk profile.
METHODS: Self-reported data were obtained from a stratified random sample of adults aged 18+ who participated in the 2002 National Dental Telephone Interview Survey and completed a subsequent mailed questionnaire (n = 3,132). Data were weighted to represent a simple random sample of Australian adults and analysis was limited to dentate adults.
RESULTS: Four oral health behaviours (toothbrushing frequency, interdental cleaning, exposure to non-milk extrinsic sugars, usual reason for a dental visit) and four general health behaviours (smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, Body Mass Index) were dichotomised. K-means cluster analysis identified two readily interpretable groups that differed significantly on each behaviour apart from alcohol consumption (ANOVA; p = 0.77). A significant relationship emerged between cluster memberships and sociodemographic characteristics. Over-represented in the risk behaviour group (40.7% of the sample) were males, young adults, Australian born, those who did not live in a major city, adults who rented their housing and those adults with lower levels of education and household income (Chi square; p < 0.05).
CONCLUSION: The interrelatedness of oral and general risk behaviours and their sociodemographic associations supports the tailoring of integrated oral and general health promotion messages and services to targeted population groups.