Approximately half of all causes of mortality in the United States are linked to behavioral factors such as smoking, diet, alcohol use, sedentary lifestyle and accidents (McGinnis & Foege, 1993). One very promising strategy for promoting health and preventing disease, therefore, is to help people change behaviors that increase disease risk—but helping people do this has proven to be a very difficult and challenging problem. One would think that if we informed people of their risks they would rush home and, in the interests of good health, change behaviors that caused the risk. Some people do, but most do not (Smedley & Syme, 2000).
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