- Virginia A Simons: Fairview Hospital/Cleveland Clinic Family Medicine Residency Program, Center for Family Medicine, 18200 Lorain Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44111, USA. virginia.simons@fairviewhospital.org
Unhealthy behaviors lead to significant preventable morbidity and mortality in the United States. Primary care providers are in a unique position to address these issues with patients. Despite the importance and opportunity for health behavior counseling in primary care, reported rates are low. This article presents a practical model for health behavior counseling in everyday clinical practice.