Unpacking the black box of latent class analysis using qualitative life history interviews: A data-linked explanatory approach examining sexual behavior in rural South Africa

BACKGROUNDSexual behaviors are determined by present-day factors and past/future considerations.Previous work utilizing latent class analysis on a population-based cross-sectional survey of rural South Africans aged 15-plus showed how sexual behaviors cluster in distinct population subgroups (Class 1: Single with consistent protective behaviors; Class 2: Risky behaviors; Class 3: In union with lack of protective behaviors) and their associations with age, sex, and HIV status. OBJECTIVEExpanding upon this work, we advance a novel mixed methods approach -data-linked explanatory analysis -to demonstrate how nested qualitative life history interviews (LHIs) with survey participants can be used to account for population patterns in studies utilizing person-centered techniques to classify health behaviors.