The family structure provides an important foundation for the physical and emotional health of the individual and the community. Marital and family status and interactions among family members affect each person’s health and the well-being of the community and nation. The family exists and functions within the context of cultural, economic, legal, and social patterns unique to each society, with important commonalities of the role of the family in health. However, each person is a unique individual who passes through life stages with changing health needs and support systems not only in the family, but also in peer groups and society more widely.

Family health issues relate to phases involving marital status, fertility and pregnancy, infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age, as well as the relationships among family members. Each phase has specific health risks in which prevention and other health services play an important role.