| Nearly half of all yearly deaths are a result of modifiable behavioral risk factors. Modifiable risk factors are personal behaviors such as smoking, not wearing a seat belt, and being physically inactive, that can lead to disease, disability, and death. By taking control of risk factors, you can greatly reduce your chances of premature death.
Seat Belt Use - Pennsylvania seat belt law requires drivers and front seat passengers to be properly buckled up when riding in a car, Class 1 and Class 2 truck, or motor home. Only 50 percent of males in Pennsylvania wear their seat belts. When properly used, seat belts can reduce the risk of death in the front seat of cars by 45 percent, and the risk of moderate-to-critical injury by 50 percent.
Alcohol - In Pennsylvania, males binge drink and drink and drive 3 times more often than females. Alcohol is the primary contributing risk factor for chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, which caused the deaths of 1,097 Pennsylvanians in 1996. Alcohol is also associated with high incidences of traffic injury and acts of violence such as assault, homicide, suicide, and rape.
Smoking - Twenty-six percent of all males in Pennsylvania smoke cigarettes. Smoking is one of the single most important preventable causes of death in the nation. Smoking causes lung, oral, laryngeal, and esophageal cancer, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and stroke. In 1990, smoking accounted for approximately 22,700 deaths in Pennsylvania. If you stop smoking, the risk of developing certain cancers steadily decreases each year.
Nutrition - To help prevent heart disease and some cancers such as colon cancer, eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Try them canned, frozen, or as juices. Also, cut back on fat from red meat, butter, whole milk, and regular cheeses.
Physical Inactivity - People who are physically inactive are twice as likely as physically active people to develop heart disease. Twenty-six percent of Pennsylvania males are physically inactive while 31 percent of Pennsylvania males are overweight. Thirty minutes of moderate-level physical activity a day, most days of the week, greatly reduces your chances of developing heart disease, high blood pressure, colon cancer, and diabetes. |
