Home and Family
Medical Author: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
Medical Editor: Jay W. Marks, MD
Good preventive medicine --
the proactive steps one can take to avoid disease and injury --
begins with
maintaining a healthy home environment for you and your family.
Learning about home fire
prevention, the safe use of gas
appliances, swimming pool safety,
healthy cleaning practices, and safe storage
of toxic products in your home are among the many steps you can take to ensure a
safe physical environment. Those with specific medical conditions may require
additional measures to make their home as healthy as possible. For example,
asthma and allergy sufferers may require
removal of potential allergy triggers
in the home. Maintaining a smoke-free home always is of benefit to the health of
the entire family. If you have children,
"childproofing" your home (by
physically limiting access to dangerous areas and situations) is critical for a
safe environment.
A "healthy" home also involves a sound emotional environment.
Effective
communication among family members, the willingness to compromise, and strong
conflict-resolution skills can help foster an atmosphere of mental well-being
for everyone. Stress-management skills, including
simple relaxation exercises,
can be learned and practiced by everyone. Those with children at home know that
achieving healthy parent-child relationships is crucial for a healthy home
environment. Healthy parenting skills can also be learned and practiced to
reduce stress in the home for both children and parents.
Nutritional choices are another component of a healthy home. Making good
nutritional choices (such as eating adequate amounts of fruits, vegetables, and
whole grains, reducing consumption of refined carbohydrates,
avoiding
sugar-laden juices and sodas) can help prevent adult and
childhood obesity and
associated medical complications such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular
disease. Parents can help their children develop good nutritional habits by
serving healthy meals at home and packing healthy school lunches and snacks.
Finally, certain times and situations may require special or additional
health and safety measures.
Family vacations, travel abroad,
summer beach trips,
and holidays are all examples of situations where you can take extra preventive
measures to keep your family as safe and healthy as possible.
Combining a healthy lifestyle with good preventive medicine offers many
benefits for you and your family. For further information go to:
Disease Prevention Overview
Last Editorial Review: 3/21/2008
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