There are a number of limitations to this research. The first is related to the index of healthy behaviors. Although it is possible that a single healthy behavior drives overall differences seen in the results, I find in supplementary models that with one exception, results remain the same when any one of the six behaviors is excluded from the model. The exception is that black adolescents’ healthy behavior advantage is driven primarily by a reduced likelihood to smoke during adolescence. I also run all models after excluding those currently attending college at
any wave in order to test whether the observed decline in healthy behaviors is primarily attributable to relatively advantaged adolescents experimenting with smoking and binge-drinking as college students. Results remain the same when current college students are excluded from the
models. Moreover, supplemental models fitting a squared term to the rate of healthy behavior change indicate that the squared term does not improve model fit.