All Health Begins at Home in the Community

Abstract

To say that ‘All Health Begins at Home’ is not an exaggeration. As the World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as ‘a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’, the associated factors for ‘health’ essentially cover a broad spectrum in all stages and aspects of life. For instance, genetic factors, breastfeeding, parenting, immunisation, home environment, personal hygiene, food safety, family values, behaviours, atmosphere, routines, beliefs towards illnesses and decisions in crisis; all these contribute to an individual’s bio-psycho-social well-being in the long run. Some studies have shown that childhood exposure to emotional, physical, sexual abuse, and household dysfunction is related to increased risk for negative health outcomes and even a shorter life expectancy. Whilst these findings suggest family protection in childhood and adolescence is very important, the same in young, middle, and older adults should not be overlooked. ‘Family’ should be regarded as an essential context for the development of health, including all family members across different stages of the family life cycles. A ‘Home’ or ‘Family’ should be considered the basic unit of health promotion at the individual and societal levels, a context in community health practice and an essential part of public health policy. In this Chapter, we shall see how family-focused interventions can work at the primary, secondary and tertiary prevention levels to safeguard the health of the community. Principles to guide planning and implementation of family engagement programmes are also highlighted. A 4-C Healthy Home Framework is proposed.