FAMILY HEALTH ASSESSMENT PART I 1

Family Health Assessment

The family health patterns can be rated as good. The hold a positive perception towards their general wellbeing. The family’s health values include caring, love, and support for each other. The family’s health is usually a priority when it comes to nutrition. Their diet is usually composed of organic foods and snacks are restricted for outings only. The parents in the family usually have long working hours that limit their time for duties at home. Therefore, they usually have limited sleep and rest time. However, they agree that sleep and rest are important aspects of a healthy lifestyle. None of the family has experienced issues related to bowel health such as elimination. The family has taken drastic measures of ensuring that their diet is full of fiber foods that ensure healthy bowel movements.

Functional Health Patterns

The family holds exercise in high esteem. The parents tend to attend gym sessions on Mondays, Wednesdays, and weekends. Most of the family members also prefer early morning runs. The children usually cycle around the community’s track after school or in their free time. the cognitive perceptions of the family include that none of them has issues with forgetting. The father in the family is usually the final decision maker, but the mother is the one who takes charge when it comes to the family’s health. The family does not usually practice a lot of reading outside school. Except for the father in the family who has difficulties with eyesight, the rest of the family members have “perfect” sensory perceptions.

None of the family members have issues with negative aspects of self-esteem. The parents have defined roles in terms of picking kids from school, cooking among others. According to the mother, these defined roles set goals for what is required of everyone and has strengthened their marriage. On the scale of 1 to 5, the parents, sexual relationship can be rated at 4. They practice sex very often because they feel that it is key to their healthy marriage. The family also has great coping capabilities. Issues with coping with stressful situations are evident in the family’s stepson who is less resilient to stressful situations.

Family Structure

The selected family has shifted away from the common or traditional family structure. The main aspect of this family is that it conforms to a nuclear and stepfamily structure (Bennett, 2017). The wife in the family came into the marriage with a son from her previous marriage. Together with her husband, they have two daughters. In essence, the family has five individuals in total. These are the father, mother, stepson, and two daughters. They also have two pets, a cat and a dog. The family is a mixed-race one with the father being Caucasian and the mother is a black woman. The family ascribes to Christianity specifically protestant. The family belongs to the middle class. Both parents have well-paying jobs and they reside in a nice gated community within the city’s suburbs. Their estate has a playing ground for children, a cycling track, gym, and swimming pool. Other amenities such as shopping malls, hospitals, and schools are located within the neighborhood.

Family Health and Health Behaviors

The family’s health status can be described as being good and admirable. The family has embraced a positive approach towards their overall wellbeing. This status can be attributed to the mother in the house who holds the need for a balanced diet and regular exercise in high esteem. The family has adopted a strict regime towards eating healthy. Snacks and fast foods in the home are almost nonexistent. They ensure that their main meals are full of organic foods and contain essential nutritional components such as proteins, carbohydrates, and vitamins (Harris, 2020). All family members have also adopted a culture if taking in at least six glasses of water a day.

Exercise is an important part of the family’s daily routines. The parents usually undertake early morning runs. On the weekends or holidays, they usually take their children out to play or ride together on the track. The father usually attends gym sessions on Mondays, Wednesdays, and weekends. Every day the children undertake cycling sessions after school. During their free time, they usually interact with friends in the community’s playground. The children in the family are always allowed minimal video games time. the major concern about the family’s health is that they have not adopted the culture of regular medical checkups. They usually visit the hospital after a sickness incident has occurred. The family’s parents usually work long hours such that have little time for rest and hospital visits.

Findings

The functional health pattern strengths in the family lie in their daily exercises and nutritional awareness. The family has a healthy dietary and exercise lifestyle that contributes positively to their general wellbeing. The family rarely includes fast foods or unhealthy snacks in their daily diets. To be precise the family obtains a fresh delivery of fruits and vegetables every three days from the local fresh market. Regular exercises complement the family’s health concerns. The parent’s decisions of allowing their children to interact socially with others during others are essential for their mental wellbeing. Exercise and balanced diets are vital aspects of positive health outcomes (Gudzune et al., 2018).

The family doesn’t have significant health problems apart from irregular colds and migraines. Their healthy lifestyles have enhanced their wellbeing and they have minimal hospital visits. However, the family’s culture of not undertaking regular medical checkups could be a barrier to their long-term health plans. Regular medical checkups are essential especially for children, as it helps to determine mental conditions such as mood disorders. The family also live in an urban area and are exposed to constant air pollution from vehicles and industries (Cannon, 2017). Long working hours with little rest may also hinder the wellbeing of the family. Therefore, their habit of infrequent health checkups is a barrier to their overall wellbeing.

Family Systems Theory

The family health system theory views a family as a unified system rather than individuals. (Kaakinen et al., 2018) The responsibilities and roles of individuals in the system are distinguished set boundaries as well as agreements elements. The latter can be especially useful in formulating a timetable for health checkups. Agreements especially between the parents can be reached to create time for health checkups at least once every two months. The family can create boundaries between working time and time for rest as well as attending regular health checkups.

References

Bennett, A. (2017). Family structure and support issues. New York: Nova Science Publishers.

Cannon, Y. (2017). A Mental Health Checkup for Children at the Doctor’s Office: Lessons from the Medical-Legal Partnership Movement to Fulfill Medicaid’s Promise. Yale J. Health Pol’y L. & Ethics, 17, 253.

Gudzune, K. A., Peyton, J., Pollack, C. E., Young, J. H., Levine, D. M., Latkin, C. A., & Clark, J. M. (2018). Perceived diet and exercise behaviors among social network members with personal lifestyle habits of public housing residents. Health Education & Behavior, 45(5), 808-816.

Harris, G. (2020). World Health Organization urges stronger focus on nutrition within health services. British Journal of Healthcare Management, 26(2), 1-2.

Kaakinen, J. R., Coehlo, D. P., Steele, R., & Robinson, M. (2018). Family health care nursing: Theory, practice, and research. FA Davis.