Essay Example on Busy Woman, Healthy Son: Family Health & Behavior

Current behavior and health of the family

The family has a comprehensive health insurance cover. None of the family members has any mental or known mental disorders. The man smokes and works under tough physical conditions. This is a potential health risk for the family. The wife is unable to conceive and carry a child to term. She is okay without a child, though. The family honors all health check-ups, including dental.

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Both parents work shift jobs, which puts a strain on their sleeping and eating patterns. The man sleeps less than 8 hours, mostly during the day. The woman sleeps sporadically with breaks within shifts, usually less than 8 hours long. They do not get regular eating times, being forced to eat on the job. The quality of food is not good because of sporadic eating and eating food from fast foods (Buden, Dugan, Faghri, Huedo-Medina, Namazi & Cherniack, 2017).

Both the man and the women are slightly overweight. They attribute it to sporadic eating habits and preference for junk while on the job. The son has a healthy weight and uses reading glasses. The family also takes social outings occasionally.

The eating habits of both the man and the woman also put them at risk of obesity. The weight issues are a concern for both, but they feel helpless about it because they do not think there is a way they can improve. For a 45-year-old man, smoking could also cause significant health challenges in the future for him and the family.

Smoking is also a cost factor in health insurance. The son's eye problem is under management, and it is not a niggling health concern. I can rate the health of family stable but needs intervention on several fronts, especially on weight and smoking.

Functional Health Pattern Strengths Noted

Coping

The family seems to be coping well with the demands of their jobs. Despite the family working shift jobs, the son gets some with the parents, which is a strength. Because they do not get time together every day, they schedule outings occasionally, which also helps the family bond well.

Relationships

As seen above, the family is cultivating strong ties and bonds. It is a significant strength as families often rely on members for support. The man and woman have also talked about the smoking problem and possible cessation. They have not conclusively deliberated on how to deal with it, though, but they are handling it as a family.

Health barriers

Nutrition

Poor eating habits are significant barriers to good health for this family. Both the man and the woman will need to address the issue to reduce the problem of overweight, which should be addressed before it gets worse than it already is. Buden et al. show that shift workers tend to have these types of problems because of the nature of their work (2017). Metabolic

Despite the adults in the family working seemingly physical jobs (blue-color), they do not do enough physical work and may need to supplement it with exercises. A nutritionist can help address the eating habits of the two adults.

Sleep and rest

This concerning health issue will require attention. On-call jobs can put significant stress on a person to a point where they do not get enough rest or sleep. This is the case with this family. Adults are strained significantly.

Family Systems Theory and Change

As noted, the family has a niggling concern about the smoking of the head of the family. Family systems theory is a behavioral theory that sees a family as a unit that members draw emotional support. When one member is in distress, the family is the first to suffer. Research shows that smoking cessation can expose younger family members to future smoking (Hubbard, Gorely, Ozakinci, Polson & Forbat, 2016). It also shows that family support can help improve family cessation as smokers have an emotional attachment with the family, and are likely to exert themselves if they are informed about the effects of their smoking to the family. One can rely on the spousal support to help drive the required change.

References

Buden, J. C., Dugan, A. G., Faghri, P. D., Huedo-Medina, T. B., Namazi, S., & Cherniack, M. G. (2017). Associations among Work and Family Health Climate, Health Behaviors, Work Schedule, and Body Weight. Journal of occupational and environmental medicine, 59(6), 588-599. https://dx.doi.org/ 10.1097/JOM.0000000000001049.

Hubbard, G., Gorely, T., Ozakinci, G., Polson, R., & Forbat, L. (2016). A systematic review and narrative summary of family-based smoking cessation interventions to help adults quit smoking. BMC family practice, 17(1), 73. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-016-0457-4.

Leahey, M., & Wright, L. M. (2016). Application of the Calgary Family Assessment and Intervention Models: reflections on the reciprocity between the personal and the professional. Journal of Family Nursing, 22(4), 450-459. https://doi.org/10.1177/1074840716667972.