HH09SE_C01_006-010_S01 4/6/07
Everyone, no matter what age, can do
things to take control of his or her
health.
www.scilinks.org/health
Topic: Motor Vehicle Safety
HealthLinks code: HH90998
8 CHAP T E R 1 Leading a Healthy Life
2:20 PM Page 8
Risk Factors and Your Health
You can’t control the uncontrollable risk factors. However, you can
protect your health by focusing on controllable risk factors, which
you can change through your behavior. What behaviors can you
focus on at this point in your life? First, you should know the leading
causes of death for people your age in the United States:
> motor vehicle accidents
> homicide
> suicide
> other accidents
These four causes of death make up almost three-fourths of all teen
deaths. For children and infants, motor vehicle accidents are also the
No. 1 cause of death.
Your health behaviors affect not only your health today but also
your future health. Thus, you should be aware of the leading causes
of death for other age groups. For example, the leading cause of death
for adults between 19 and 65 years of age is cancer. The leading cause
of death for adults over 65 years of age is heart disease.
The next section describes the health behaviors that most affect
you and other teens. By learning these risk behaviors, you can take
control in improving your health today and in the future.