Relative importance of predictor variables in analysis of risk behavior determinants (brief review)

One of the key analytic problems in behavioral epidemiology research is related to determining most important factors among those that influence the behavior of interest. The present paper offers a brief review of the method designed to estimate relative importance of predictor variables described by J. W. Johnson. Examples are discussed that illustrate the use of relative importance analysis to examine and compare impacts of determinants of sexual risk behavior.