Family-level Influences Have a Significant Impact on Individuals' Health
Mar 30, 2005, 06:22, Reviewed by: Dr.
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Depending on the family configuration, the data indicate that between 4.5 and 26.1 percent of the variance in individual health status was derived from the family, with the shared characteristics of income and health insurance accounting for only a modest portion of the effect.
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By American Academy of Family Physicians ,
With health care systems increasingly focusing on the individual, new research out of the University of Texas Health Science Center shows the need for a concurrent focus on the family's role in health.
Analyzing data from more than 35,000 people who participated in the national Community Tracking Survey, researchers found that a significant proportion of general health status can be attributed to family-level influences.
Depending on the family configuration, the data indicate that between 4.5 and 26.1 percent of the variance in individual health status was derived from the family, with the shared characteristics of income and health insurance accounting for only a modest portion of the effect.
While the study does not seek to disentangle the contribution of specific family-level determinants to health status, because of the study design, the authors conclude that most of the family-level effects derive not from shared genetics but from shared features of the family environment, such as health beliefs and behaviors, physical environments, common stresses, and interpersonal relations that can be either beneficial or harmful to health.
The authors and two editorialists suggest that health policy interventions should place more emphasis on the family's role in health. 
- The Family Contribution to Health Status: A Population-Level Estimate; By Robert L. Ferrer, M.D., M.P.H., et al; Physicians, Families, and Population Health By Jim House, Ph.D., et al
www.annfammed.org
Annals of Family Medicine is a peer-reviewed research journal that provides a cross-disciplinary forum for new, evidence-based information affecting the primary care discipline. Launched in May 2003, the journal is sponsored by six family medical organizations, including the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Board of Family Practice, the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, the Association of Departments of Family Medicine, the Association of Family Practice Residency Directors and the North American Primary Care Research Group. Annals is published six times each year and contains original research from the clinical, biomedical, social and health services areas, as well as contributions on methodology and theory, selected reviews, essays and editorials. A board of directors with representatives from each of the sponsoring organizations oversees Annals. Complete editorial content and interactive discussion groups for each published article can be accessed free of charge on the journal's Web site, www.annfammed.org.
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