A Descriptive Study to Identify High Risk Families in Terms of Health and Assess their Coping Strategies in a Selected Community of Kashmir

Communities consist of diverse groups of families varying in their assets, resources, problems and needs. Every community has high risk families who need special services to help them to cope up with disease, strife, loss and grief. Some families have individual members who are at risk due to their age or other physiological condition. This study was conducted to identify high risk families, to assess their coping strategies and to establish relationship between coping strategies and risk status of families. A quantitative research approach, descriptive cross- sectional survey research design was used. The study was conducted in Bemina Boat colony, Srinagar, Kashmir. The sample consisted of 100 families. The data was collected through systematic random sampling by using Aggarwal, O.P.s standardized tool, structured interview schedule and rating scale. Obesity, malnutrition and anemia were identified by using anthropometric observation and Hemoglobin estimation. The findings revealed that 38% of the families were high risk and 62% were in the category of low risk. Majority of the families i.e., 91% of families had poor socio economic status, 81% had 1-2 infants, 20% of women were alone because of death of their husbands, 76% had occasional fights within their family, 70% did not involve family members in decision making, 66% children had headache and 33% had both lack of interest and headache, 47% children had enuresis, 13% had nail biting and enuresis, 57% of children received late immunization, majority of the families were not taking balanced diet, all families were not de worming their children, 22% families had only one member suffering from diabetes mellitus and 20% had at least one person with cardiac problem, 68% had a member with hypertension, 13% had at least one member with a mental disorder, 3% had one member with genetic disorder, 7% had handicapped persons, 10% had a drug addict !0 % had alcoholic in their home all families had at least one smoker in their home. All the families had a service type of latrine in their houses. All the families were disposing the wastes in an open space, majority of the families were taking imbalanced diet, all the families were affected with political turmoil, 3% of the families had experienced death of one member. Among the population of 614, 18.72% were anemic, 4.56% of adult females were obese and 1.46% of the children were malnourished. 83% families had adequate coping strategies and 17% had inadequate coping strategies. Out of 17% inadequate coping strategies, high risk families' had 12% and only 5% of inadequate coping was scored by low risk families. There was a significant relationship between risk status of families and their coping strategies as obtained by chi square at 0.05 level of significance. Health planners and policy makers must consider the overall development of the community specially the poor people. Community health nurse must prepare the risk score card for each family and designate high risk families and help them for improving their coping.