Review Article
Year: 2019 | Month: June | Volume: 9 | Issue: 6 | Pages: 363-377
Family Support in Effective Management of Hypertension: Role of Children as Passive Change Agents
Sandra Roshni Monteiro1, Meena Hariharan2
1ICMR Junior Research Fellow; Centre for Health Psychology, University of Hyderabad, Central University, Prof C.R. Rao Road; Gachibowli; P.O., Hyderabad – 500046; Telangana (India).
2Professor & Head; Centre for Health Psychology, University of Hyderabad, Central University, Prof C.R. Rao Road; Gachibowli; P.O., Hyderabad – 500046; Telangana (India).
Corresponding Author: Sandra Roshni Monteiro
ABSTRACT
Physical health is a field which requires holistic intervention to manoeuvre individuals towards better health outcomes through promotion of health enhancing behaviour. Family support has been established as an important protective factor in any health behaviour change. However, the role of children has not been directly referred to in family health promotion. Among significant areas of concern in the field of health, non-communicable diseases have a steep rise, among which hypertension has highest prevalence and is also responsible for the alarming rate of cardiovascular morbidity projected to increase upto 44% by the year 2035 globally and in India. Involvement of children in shaping health should become a fundamental tradition because of their dual roles. Firstly, they have a responsibility as victims of the same clusters of lifestyle habits as their family members, and secondly, with their potential to influence attitudinal shift of health risk behaviours in their family members. This paper entails a comprehensive systematic literature review in light of the role of children as change agents throwing light in effective management of hypertension. Children’s agency in terms of their potential, their ability, and discredit is thoroughly discussed. Scientific articles have been reported to substantiate children’s influence in their family to bring out changes in health behaviour. Evidence suggest the feasibility of utilizing children as change agents to partially fill the increasing gap between supply and demand for health change behaviour needed to enhance the productivity of children as change agents is listed. Implications of study are also discussed.
Key words: children, change agents, primary prevention, hypertension management, health promotion