Perspectives in health and the family.
Le résumé fourni par la source
The family as an institution is in a state of flux due to the impact of modernization and urbanization. In many area, the extended family is giving way to the nuclear family. Within the family itself, the functional roles and interrelationships of individual members are changing. An attempt is made in this discussion to provide a broad perspective with attention directed to the following: factors influencing family health--an ecosystem; environmental burdens; the health of mother and child; family planning and family health; the provision of integrated, comprehensive health and family planning services; the working adult and the aging individual; clinical care; medical education and family health; reorientation of medical education to community needs; community involvement for family health; education for family health; and a policy for family health. Internal factors related to individuals within the family as well as external factors related to the community make up an ecosystem, and their interaction determines the balances between health and disease in the family. Health and disease are more then expressions of biological processes; they are influenced greatly by psychosocial, economic, and cultural factors. A clean and hazard free environment supports the health of the individual, family, and community. The greatest safeguard against malnutrition and illness in infants and young children lies in the development of the insights of the mother. It is necessary to understand how successful mothers function and how they transmit their culture to their daughters. Family planning and family health are inseparable and mutually reinforce each other. The pattern of family formation--timing, spacing, and total family size--exerts a marked influence on the health of the mother and child. Family health is best realized through the provision of integrated, comprehensive health, and family planning services. Deep and fundamental changes are necessary in the training of physicians and other health workers to orient them to the entire family as the unit of care and relate it to the community. Major improvements in health are possible at costs that can be afforded even by the poor countries of the world. The overall strategies and policies of primary health care are fundamental to the concepts of family health care.
Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.