Family influences on child health status.

Concern about the effect of family characteristics on child health status, as measured by comprehensive screening examination, prompted this study. Family routines and home environment for 110 children enrolled in a Head Start program revealed significant correlations with a summative variable from child health data recorded on school records. These findings indicate that higher levels of family routines and more stimulating home environments are significantly correlated with child health status. Knowledge about these important family influences can assist health care providers to better define family risk factors and aid in the development of more specific suggestions for improved family life, especially among low socioeconomic families.