Communities and populations are comprised of individuals and families who together affect the health of the community. The family unit is an unparalleled player for maintaining health and preventing disease for public health because members may support and nurture one another through life stages. Preliminary research confirms that family-oriented health promotion and disease prevention are promising strategies because the family unit is both a resource and a priority group needing preventative and curative services across the life course. Although there are growing numbers of successful efforts, family health systems are generally underutilized in health promotion practice. This lack of utilization in policy and practice have hampered the collection of robust evidence for family health. This paper purports that families are important actors in public health. Yet, since no one pattern for healthy families is known, public health practitioners can consider six principle-based approaches to legitimately and respectfully advance the families’ innate potential for health promotion and disease prevention. Each perspective aims to foster higher capacity for family health systems to function appropriately in public health practice. Health promotion practitioners and researchers can explore family health perspectives with the potential for systems policy and practice adjustments in public health.

中文翻译：

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以家庭为中心的健康促进：家庭参与和实现更好的健康结果的观点

社区和人口由共同影响社区健康的个人和家庭组成。家庭单位是维护健康和预防疾病以促进公共卫生的无与伦比的参与者，因为成员可以在生命各个阶段相互支持和培养。初步研究证实，以家庭为导向的健康促进和疾病预防是有前景的策略，因为家庭单位既是资源，又是在整个生命过程中需要预防和治疗服务的优先群体。尽管成功的努力越来越多，但家庭卫生系统在健康促进实践中普遍未得到充分利用。政策和实践中缺乏利用阻碍了家庭健康的有力证据的收集。本文声称家庭是公共卫生的重要参与者。然而，由于没有一种健康家庭模式是已知的，公共卫生从业者可以考虑六种基于原则的方法，以合法和尊重地促进家庭在促进健康和预防疾病方面的先天潜力。每个角度都旨在培养家庭卫生系统在公共卫生实践中适当运作的更高能力。健康促进从业者和研究人员可以探索家庭健康观点，并有可能在公共卫生领域进行系统政策和实践调整。公共卫生从业者可以考虑六种基于原则的方法，以合法和尊重地提升家庭在促进健康和预防疾病方面的先天潜力。每个角度都旨在培养家庭卫生系统在公共卫生实践中适当运作的更高能力。健康促进从业者和研究人员可以探索家庭健康观点，并有可能在公共卫生领域进行系统政策和实践调整。公共卫生从业者可以考虑六种基于原则的方法，以合法和尊重地提升家庭在促进健康和预防疾病方面的先天潜力。每个角度都旨在培养家庭卫生系统在公共卫生实践中适当运作的更高能力。健康促进从业者和研究人员可以探索家庭健康观点，并有可能在公共卫生领域进行系统政策和实践调整。