Family Health Assessment (Health, Medicine, Nursing Research Paper)

Family Health Assessment
Name:
Institution:
Family Health Assessment
Family Structure
The family chosen for this assignment is a young family whose head consented to take part in a small survey regarding their health status. It is a young family of three members; the husband, the head of the family, a wife, and their 6-month-old son. Since some survey questions touch on personal life aspects, it was fair to avoid noting their names down. Members of the family are from a common ethnicity and race. From the observation made while conducting the interview, it is evident that the family falls within the lower category of social class due to their financial status. The family's environment is another factor that helped inform about their social class status as they stay in an informal suburb in the city's outskirts.
Health Behaviour of the Family
Although the family members feel that their health is in good shape, from a medical perspective, the observation is not scientific because the family rarely go for medical check-ups. From a typical observation, it was evident that the family's health was in good shape. None of its members exhibited or complained of any form of physical damage or pain except for the family head, who complained of having some dental issues. In terms of medical behavior, it is noted that the family is keen on following doctors' recommendations whenever they visit one. On physical exercise, the family is not doing quite well as they rarely engage in a workout, except for the husband, who exercises while walking to work daily. Nutrition-wise, the family has exhibited that they are not entirely keen on their nutrients intake, and this is evident from their lack of concern to read nutrient labels on their foodstuff. Finally, the husband also seems reluctant to drink enough water, which can be the probable cause of constipation that he claims to have been experiencing.
Strengths and Weakness of the Family's Health Pattern
The apparent health pattern that the family engages in that can be depicted from the assessment is their keenness in seeking and abiding by medical advice to the best of their ability. As much as the family members cannot attend regular or frequent medical check-ups because of other reasons, from the assessment, it is clear that they prefer seeking medical attention whenever they experience abnormal symptoms that warrant doctors' advice. This way, as is supported by several types of research, proper diagnosis can be made to the patient and treatment conducted as soon as possible before the situation gets worse or even beyond repair (Rath & Deb, 2017). Secondly, the head of the family seems to be having a better way of releasing his stresses. From the assessment, it is clear that when encountering a stressful situation, the husband encounters the moment that does not result in further harm to either the family or himself as encouraged by medical experts (Rath & Deb, 2017). He does so by listening to music and avoiding worrying about the situation.
On the contrary, financial stability is one element that comes out as a barrier for the family concerning accessing proper health care. For instance, due to their financial status, the family cannot afford regular check-up vis...