- Family Interviewed: Santiago Family
- Religious Affiliation: Roman Catholic
- Composition: Standard Nuclear family (i.e. father, mother and with two adolescent daughters)
Values and Health Perception
The results of the interview showed that no conflict exists between the family’s religion and their health status. This is primarily due to the fact that as Roman Catholics there are no significant issues in relation to receiving modern medical care as compared to other religions that prohibit procedures such as blood transfusions or overly invasive surgery. The family appears to be in good health and does not exhibit any adverse reactions between their value system and their relationship with modern medical science.
Nutrition
Both the mother and the father in the Santiago family practice “Crossfit” (a cross training regimen that incorporates calisthenics with weight lifting), as such, the family eats according to the “Paleo” lifestyle that is espoused by the Crossfit training program. This diet consists of eating fewer grains and more vegetables, fruits and meat. Based on an analysis of their daily meals, the food appears to be well balanced with little in the way of simple sugars making its way into their daily meals.
Sleep/Rest
When asked about their rest and sleep schedule, it was apparent that the family members maintained a standard sleep schedule of 8 hours per night. It is usually the case that the children go to sleep at 9pm in order to get ready for school in the morning while the parents sleep at roughly the same time. There are no apparent issues with their sleeping pattern and there have been no instances where they have suffered any form of sleep apnea, insomnia or other similar sleeping disorders (Niederhauser & Arnold, 2004).
Elimination
Patterns of bowl movement among the family members do not deviate from the norm with elimination usually occurring at the start of the day and at times at the end of the day depending on how they feel at the time. There have been no recorded instances of bowel obstruction nor have they expressly stated that they have encountered any problems within the past few weeks prior to the interview taking place. Liquid consumption averages to roughly 2 liters for the children per day with 3 liters or more for the adults due to their increased level of physical activity.
Activity/Exercise
All members of the family engage in some form of daily physical exercise that enables them to be fit. The daughters are part of their school’s soccer team while the parents are part of the local Crossfit “box” (their term for a gym). As such, they routinely engage in physically engaging activities that helps them to maintain their cardiovascular health. The family states that their daily physical activity regimen has helped immensely in enabling them to stay healthy both physically and mentally.
Cognitive
When it comes to their cognitive capacities, the mother and father are both college graduates and are certified public accountants who earn a combined salary of $90,000 a year. This is sufficient for their needs and helps to ensure that their children have access to good educational opportunities. Both daughters are still in grade school yet are doing well as per their statements regarding their school life. There is no history of mental disorders in their family and so far there have been no issues.
Sensory perception
The family members were slightly confused when they were asked this question and merely stated that they saw everyone else as normal people. While there is some discrimination due to their Latin American heritage, it was barely noticeable and the family has cordial relations with the other members of their community.
Self-Perception
The mother and father stated that they had a very high opinion of themselves and emphasized that through their Crossfit training regimen they were ready for anything. This is indicative of high levels of self-confidence that shows that they have great self-perception (Leahey & Harper-Jaques, 2010). The same can be said about their fashion sense since they seem to be wearing fairly up-to-date outfits. The daughters have emulated their parents and are similarly fashion conscious and wear fashionable outfits to school.
Role Relationships
The family stated that they have standard relationship roles within the family wherein both the father and the mother work to provide for the family while the daughters do occasional chores around the house. As such, it can be seen that the family follows the basic format seen in many nuclear families which coincides with their roles and responsibilities within the household (Ruffin IV, Nease Jr., Sen, Pace, Wang, Acheson & Gramling, 2011).
Sexuality
Due to their ages, the young daughters of the Santiago’s are not sexually active. In the case of the parents, they mentioned that they have sex at least 4 times a week and are very open regarding their sexuality and sexual promiscuity (i.e. they stated that they are “swingers”). To protect themselves from sexually transmitted diseases, the parents explained that they always utilize protection and only engage with other couples that they know have also undergone routine STD testing. While it is true that this particular aspect of the sexual lives of the parents is “unusual”, it has not shown any apparent danger to the family aside from a higher risk of contracting STDs which the parents state that they are careful as possible when it comes to engaging in sexual activity with their “partners” (Appleton & Cowley, 2004).
Coping
Methods of stress relief for the family vary among the different members due to the gap in age. For the daughters, their method of stress relief usually comes in the form of playing games on their laptop or on the PS4 that they had attached to the TV in their living room. The parents on the other hand turned towards sexual release as their form of stress relief and attended the various “swinger” parties that were in and around their neighborhood. Aside from this, the family supposedly copes with family problems by having a family meeting and figuring out how to resolve the issue as a family.
Wellness Diagnosis
Health and Physical Wellness
Upon examining the family members it was noted that they had healthy eating habits that were in line with the recommended guidelines for wellness. Their diets had sufficient amounts of vitamins, fiber, carbohydrates and protein and in proper asymmetrical amounts (i.e. more on protein than carbohydrates). This helped to reduce the possibility of health issues cropping up due to obesity. Combined with the regular exercise they engage in, it can be seen that the family is basically doing everything “right” when it comes to maintaining their health.
Emotional Stability
When it comes to the emotional stability of the family, it was determined that there are no issues since not only is the family financially well-off, there are no problems that have been identified (ex: mental illness) that would contribute towards emotional instability. Not only that, all members have an outlet for stress which enables them to be less inclined towards violent emotional outbursts.
Reference List
Appleton, J. V., & Cowley, S. (2004). The guideline contradiction: health visitors’ use of formal guidelines for identifying and assessing families in need. International Journal Of Nursing Studies, 41(7), 785-797.
Leahey, M., & Harper-Jaques, S. (2010). Integrating Family Nursing Into a Mental Health Urgent Care Practice Framework: Ladders for Learning. Journal Of Family Nursing, 16(2), 196-212.
Niederhauser, V. P., & Arnold, M. (2004). Assess Health Risk Status for Intervention and Risk Reduction. Nurse Practitioner, 29(2), 35-4
Ruffin IV, M. T., Nease Jr., D. E., Sen, A., Pace, W. D., Wang, C., Acheson, L. S., & Gramling, R. (2011). Effect of Preventive Messages Tailored to Family History on Health Behaviors: The Family Healthware Impact Trial. Annals Of Family Medicine, 9(1), 3-11.