Health Behavior

Karen Glanz

The major causes of death in the United States and other developed countries are chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and stroke. Behavioral factors are related to all 12 leading causes of death, and behavioral factors are thought to contribute to almost half of the deaths in the United States. According to Mokdad and others, the most common behavioral contributors to mortality, or death, in 2000 were tobacco use, poor diet and physical inactivity, and alcohol use; other significant causes of death include firearms, sexual behavior, motor vehicle crashes, and illicit use of drugs. These behaviors were responsible for nearly 1 million deaths in just a single year. The resurgence of infectious diseases, including foodborne illness and tuberculosis, and the emergence of new infectious diseases such as antibiotic-resistant infections, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, and human papillomavirus (HPV) are also largely affected by human behaviors. The social and economic costs related ...

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