{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.016164584864070537, 'fraction_numerical': 0.0, 'mean_word_length': 6.020618556701031, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
Using Prototype Theory to Examine Prototypical Patterns of Risk Behaviors among U.S. Adolescents

Abstract Background: Prototype theory is an emerging theoretical framework. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the patterns of prototypical risk behaviors among adolescents in the United States. Methods: The study involved a secondary analysis of data from the World Health Organization data set, Health Behavior of School-Aged Children. Specifically, we investigated the association between the prototypical risk behavior profiles identified from the data and the observed group membership of adolescents such as gender, ethnicity, grade level, and residence location. Results: Two risk behavior profiles were identified, and they showed differing risk behavior patterns and experiences during early and middle adolescence. Discussion: The study extended and complemented the literature by incorporating the notion of prototypicality into risk behavior patterns and identifying some unique behavioral challenges typically facing different subgroups of adolescents. Translation to Health Education Practice: Understanding the different patterns of adolescent risk behaviors could greatly enhance the abilities of practitioners to intervene in these behaviors and to help adolescents find suitable alternatives for meeting their developmental needs.