Family Health Interventions - Essay Example

"Family Health Interventions" is an outstanding example of a paper on social and family issues.
Health care is essential in maintaining a healthy status for a family. However, understanding the social determinants of health (SDOH) determines health outcomes. Some of the factors that determine health outcomes in families include social factors such as affordable health care, affordable healthy food, availability of employment, housing, education levels, and community programs are some of the social determinants of health. Another essential SDOH is access to healthcare services such as screening and treatment provided by a family physician.

Impact of SDOHs on the family

Physicians understand that SDOH influences health outcomes in individuals, and they need attention in promoting quality health impacts. The SDOH has different multi-generational effects on each family member. Living in a clean environment and housing with essential amenities such as clean water and proper hygiene increases the likelihood of the family being healthy. Maintaining social environments through earned income from employed family members promotes the overall health of the family. The family will reduce costs spend seeking health care in treating health conditions such as depressions, coughs, diarrhea, and other diseases caused by weak social environments.

The family members are healthy due to their proper feeding behavior and regular access to healthy foods. Moreover, exercising improves immunity to diseases caused by a lack of exercise. Access to regular medical checkups ensures that family members identify and prevent the development of health problems. Religion and education ensure that the family has the discipline to make decisions that positively affect their health status.

Screening family members

Health screening for family members of different ages is essential, and various testing relies on age. Early detection of health complications such as cancer can lead to treatment and diseases screened and identified, such as diabetes.  Controlling diseases such as diabetes at early detection is vital in improving the quality of life. Screening tests are based on body weight and height tests for overweight family members. Another test is screening blood pressure in all the members. The mother can undergo mammograms once over forty years to test for breast cancer. The father, if over fifty years, needs to undergo prostate tests. Colonoscopy is another test that parents over 50 years need to check for colon cancer. For the rest of the family members, full-body checks are necessary through examining the skin for any moles or lesions. This could help in earlier detection of and lead to its treatment. The testing of cholesterol levels in the body annually is essential.

Consequently, testing prevents diseases such as high blood pressure and heart attacks. The rationale behind the screening focuses on the feeding habits the family adopts, such as eating highly processed food snacks regularly. Processed foods have high concentrations of fats and chemicals that contribute to deteriorating health status. The family members need to ensure that they frequently screen to detect any health problems early.

Social Action Theory

Social action theory is an ideal framework adopted to assist the behavior change of family members, promoting a healthier status for individual members. The Social-Action theory developed by XXXXXX Ewart explains that an individual's health relies on the social environment that affects health-protective behaviors. The approach provides self-regulation models where a person’s decision to practice exercise and healthy eating habits are influenced by knowledge on healthy foods, access to exercise space, and self-efficacy beliefs. Self-regulation is a useful model in promoting health since it relies on behavior change. Family members should regulate what foods they eat, such as processed and fatty foods that contribute to health problems. Exercising regularly and outlining the expected outcomes is part of the Social-Action theory as individual interventions produce desired health outcomes among the family members. This model is ideal since it encourages behaviors such as exercise and eating healthy foods while monitoring the results, such as reduced cases of diseases such as cancer, diabetes, coughs, and other infections.

The success of the Health Framework in the Family

Furthermore, the success of the self-assessment model depends on several factors. Regular health checkups in the hospital ensure that family members monitor their health status before and during changing their behaviors. Communication in the family and with the family physician encourages an open relationship-improving information sharing. The family members can respect each other's decisions and support each other in achieving the desired health and behavior outcomes. The adults guide the children in the family on the behaviors that should be practiced and motivate them to achieve health goals. Some of the strategies that ensure positive communication include regular face-to-face meetings held in the house to address the benefits and challenges faced. The family members can engage each other through social media and access health informative sites that educate each individual on health-promoting behaviors.

Conclusion

Promoting healthier outcomes for the family relies on the social determinants of health. The social-action theory is the ideal framework that facilitates healthier behavior patterns since it encourages self-assessment of proper eating and exercising habits. Lastly, through communication, the family can achieve desired health outcomes.