Family as a health promotion setting: A scoping review of conceptual models of the health-promoting family

Abstract

Background The family is a key setting for health promotion. Contemporary health promoting family models can establish scaffolds for shaping health behaviors and can be useful tools for education and health promotion. Objectives The objective of this scoping review is to provide details as to how conceptual and theoretical models of the health promoting potential of the family are being used in health promotion contexts. Design Guided by PRISMA ScR guidelines, we used a three-step search strategy to find relevant papers. This included key-word searching electronic databases (Medline, PSycINFO, Embase, and CINAHL), searching the reference lists of included studies, and intentionally searching for grey literature (in textbooks, dissertations, thesis manuscripts and reports.) Results After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, the overall search generated 113 included manuscripts/chapters with 118 unique models. Through our analysis of these models, three main themes were apparent: 1) ecological factors are central components to most models or conceptual frameworks; 2) models were attentive to cultural and other diversities, allowing room for a wide range of differences across family types, and for different and ever-expanding social norms and roles; and 3) the role of the child as a passive recipient of their health journey rather than as an active agent in promoting their own family health was highlighted as an important gap in many of the identified models. Conclusions This review contributes a synthesis of contemporary literature in this area and supports the priority of ecological frameworks and diversity of family contexts. It encourages researchers, practitioners and family stakeholders to recognize the value of the child as an active agent in shaping the health promoting potential of their family context.

Longitudinal Psychological Family Studies in Austria: A Scoping Review

“…Although traditional research has mainly relied on proxy-reports (by parents, teachers, or others) when evaluating children, the child's unique lens is now widely recognized and assessments are increasingly deemed incomplete unless the children's input is considered. Therefore, the inclusion of the child's perspective is imperative and strongly recommended in family research (Michaelson, Pilato, & Davison 2021). Additionally, no study incorporated siblings' perspectives, even though a majority of Austrian youth (78%) has at least one sibling (Kaindl & Schipfer 2020).…”

Health Education in Pre-school Institution: Integration, Effectiveness, Improvement

“…Similar results were found by Spanish researchers stating that even though Health Education is included in the Early Childhood Education curriculum, teachers do not manage to develop it effectively (Llorent-Bedmar & Cobano-Delgado, 2019). In addition, the child is often seen as a passive recipient of information rather than as an active factor in promoting their family's health (Michaelson et al, 2021). This is singled out by researchers as an important gap in health education.…”

Multidimensional Family-Centred Early Intervention in Children with Hearing Loss: A Conceptual Model

“…Children’s developmental outcomes in general, including cognition, language and social-emotional development, have been linked to children’s physical health during the first years of life [ 170 , 171 ]. In this context, the family is known as a health promotion setting for children, whereby the child itself is an active agent in promoting their own family’s health [ 172 ].…”