HEALTH WATCH : Quack Diagnosis

President Bush’s offhand comment that AIDS is a disease that can be controlled by behavioral changes, in contrast with cancer and heart disease, has drawn deserved rebukes from a number of top health professionals.

Bush was responding to complaints from AIDS activists that the government isn’t doing enough to combat the epidemic. “Here,” he said of AIDS, “is a disease where you can control its spread by your own personal behavior. You can’t do that in cancer--well, to some degree you might argue you can in heart disease if you run and stay fit. . . . “

The statement’s first half is at least partly correct; the risks of contracting or spreading AIDS can be reduced significantly by using condoms and, among intravenous drug addicts, sterile needles. It’s what Bush went on to say about cancer and heart disease that raised eyebrows in the health community.

The President’s own secretary of health, Dr. Louis W. Sullivan, has pointed out that “the top 10 causes of death and disability in our society are conditions which are heavily influenced by personal behavior.” What kind of behavior? Such things as smoking; a diet overloaded with fats and skimpy on fruits, vegetables and grains; lack of cardiovascular exercise; alcohol abuse, including drunk driving; failure to use seat belts--things like that.

The evidence linking tobacco and dietary fats to heart disease and certain cancers clearly suggests that changes in behavior can prolong and improve lives. Let’s hope that the response to Bush’s misstatement will help spread that message.