ABSTRACT
Perhaps one of the most profound challenges to social psychologists interested in health behavior as related to child development, is to launch lifestyle interventions relatively early in the developmental process that will impact quality of life as well as morbidity and mortality. Since many self-destructive behaviors (e.g., excessive eating, too high an intake of saturated fats, drug and alcohol abuse, smoking cigarettes) in the health area have addictive characteristics, it would appear to be critical to focus on deterrence of these behaviors before in fact they become addictive or firmly established in the individual's lifestyle.
