Page 62 - fourth year book

FAMILY HEALTH ASSESSMENT

Introduction

Family plays a critical role in the health of its members. Health habits
such as preventative care, diet, exercise, and physical activity are developed in

the context of family. Health beliefs, genetic influences, and care of the ill
family member all take place within the family environment. Community
health nurses are intimately involved with families thus she is in a unique
position to influence and promote family health.

Definition of family:

Family is the basic unit of the society and consists of one or more
individuals who are related by blood ties, marriage, or adoption; and share a
residence, possess some common characteristics, emotional bonds and
engages in interrelated social position, roles, and tasks."

Universal characteristics of families:

Families share universal characteristics with every other family. These
characteristics provide an important key to understanding each family’s
uniqueness. Five of the most important family characteristics for community
health nurses to recognize are as follows:

1. Every family is a small social system.
2. Every family moves through stages in its life cycle.

3. Every family has its own cultural values and rules.

4. Every family has structure.

5. Every family has certain basic functions.

Family structure/types

Structure refers to how a family is organized and how the parts relate to
each other and to the whole.

A- Traditional families

1. Nuclear family: Husband and wife with their children living together.
2. Nuclear dyad: Husband and wife without children.

3. Commuter family: Consists of two working parents, but their jobs are in
different cities.

4. Extended family: Parents, children and other relatives (e.g., grandparents,
aunts, uncles, cousins) living together under the same roof.

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