Hi Teach,
Interesting quote and post-comment. These ideas make us think. I think that diseases are what a person has, attitudes are how a person processes what they have, and behaviors are how a person chooses to act out what they have.
A person may not have a say-so about having a disease; however, that same person does have a choice about how to respond and behave to having the disease. Some variables to consider which might influence/change a person's attitude and behaviors include education on the disease, access to education, emotional barriers, and will (or 'access to courage').
Just a few thoughts to add to the mix...thanks for the topic for discussion.