A comparative study of family structure and health status in Ondo State, South west, Nigeria
Keywords:
Family functioning, health status, one-parent, two-parentAbstract
Objectives: The main aim of the study was to explore the influence of family functioning on the health status of two-parent and one-parent families based on the Family System Theory.
Methods: The study employed a descriptive cross-sectional comparative design. An adopted intervieweradministered questionnaire which was administered to 250 one-parent families and 250 two-parent families was used. Family functioning was measured using general functioning scale of family assessment device while BMI and blood pressures measures were used to determine parents' health status.
Results: Findings showed a statistically significant association between family structure and family functioning (t (1332) = 13.763, p < 0.05), two-parent families had higher family functioning pattern with mean score of 2.80 ± 0.34 compared with one-parent family with mean score of 2.50 ± 0.51. Also, higher number of one-parent mothers had normal BMI (49%) compared to two-parent mothers (37%), higher number of one-parent mothers also had normal blood pressure (44.1%) compared to two-parent mothers (42.4%). Also, higher number of one-parent fathers had normal BMI scores (43.5%) compared to twoparent fathers (40.4%).
Conclusion: It is paramount for community health care professionals especially community health nurses to engage more in family focused intervention such as improving family health behavior as a tool for meeting family health and health care support needs.
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