ABSTRACT
Behavior is a major intervening variable in both health and disease. Directly or indirectly, behavior is implicated in the 10 leading causes of death: heart disease, cancer, cerebrovascular disease, accidents, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pneumonia and influenza, diabetes mellitus, suicide, chronic liver disease, and atherosclerosis (Centers for Disease Control, 1990). In fact, it can be argued that the leading contributor to death in both developed and developing countries is risky behavior (Blumenthal et al., 1994; World Health Organization, 1999).
