Family health means the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of all family members. Good health depends on healthy food, regular exercise, proper sleep, personal hygiene, a clean environment, and a positive attitude. This project helps students understand the needs of people at different ages, learn first-aid, and prepare an action plan to improve family health.
Here are the answers to the questions from the “Family Health Handbook” chapter of the Class 7 Kaushal Bodh book.
Activity 1: Factors Affecting Health
- Lack of personal hygiene – Causes cough, cold, and stomach infection.
- Pollution (e.g., noise, air, soil, water)– Causes breathing problems, stress, ear and eye problems.
- Unclean environment – Mosquitoes grow, leading to malaria and dengue.
- Lack of nutritious and balanced diet– Causes weakness and poor growth.
- Loneliness – Leads to sadness and stress.
- Lack of sleep – Makes us tired and less focused.
- Lack of exercise – Causes obesity and weak body.
- Excessive use of TV/mobile – Harms eyes, reduces sleep, wastes time.
- Any other factors you can think of – Too much worry causes headache and poor health.
Q. Which factors can you do something about, and which are out of your control?
Ans. I can do something about – hygiene, eating healthy food, exercising, sleeping on time, using less mobile.
Out of my control – pollution, traffic noise, spread of diseases in the environment.
Activity 2: Framing questions related to your and your family’s health
Q. Why does my younger sister catch a cold so often?
A. Because her immunity is weak.
Q. What can I do if someone at home gets a fever?
A. Give rest, check temperature, and visit the doctor if needed.
Q. Why not watch TV before sleeping?
A. Because it disturbs sleep and the mind.
Q. Why does my grandmother refuse to eat?
A. She may have less appetite or a digestive problem.
Q. Why should we wash our hands before eating?
A. To remove germs and avoid infection.
Q. Why do doctors give vaccinations?
A. To protect us from diseases.
Q. Why should we drink clean water?
A. To prevent stomach problems and infections.
Q. Why should we exercise daily?
A. To stay fit, active, and strong.
Activity 3: Visit to a hospital/Primary Health Centre(PHC)/Community Health Centre (CHC)
Q1. What are the different facilities available in your centre?
Ans. The different facilities available at the centre are OPD, emergency room, pharmacy, lab, and vaccination room.
Q2. What services are provided to patients (e.g., vaccination, outpatient treatment, diagnosis, in-hospital treatment, and specialised treatments)?
Ans. The services provided to patients include check-ups, vaccinations, medicines, delivery care, and tests.
Q3. What are the most common illnesses in our area? How can we prevent them?
Ans. The most common illnesses are fever, cough, and malaria. We can prevent it through cleanliness and vaccination.
Q4. What should we do in an emergency? What should we do if an accident happens?
Ans. In case of an emergency or accident, we should call an ambulance, give first-aid, and take the patient to the hospital.
Q5. What are the fees charged to the patient? How is billing done? How is the payment to be done? Are there any concessions given (e.g., for senior citizens and military personnel)?
Ans. In government hospitals, treatment is free or very low cost. Some concessions are given to senior citizens and military personnel.
Q6. How do we decide if someone needs medical help or we can manage at home?
Ans. If the fever is high or the illness is serious, we should seek medical help.
Q7. What should we do if someone falls sick during the night or on a holiday?
Ans. If someone falls sick during the night or on a holiday, we should go to the emergency ward or call an ambulance.
Q8. What precautions are to be taken while taking medicines?
Ans. We should take medicines only on the advice of a doctor, follow the correct dose, and always check the expiry date.
Activity 4: Creating a first-aid kit
Creating a First-aid Kit Workshop
This format will help you organise the workshop.
Duration of the workshop: 80 min
Participants: 40
Facilitator (Expert can be anyone with an understanding of first-aid):
Materials Required: Bandages, cotton, antiseptic, ORS, thermometer, gloves, mask, scissors, safety pins, and basic medicines.
Activity 5: Factors affecting health at different ages
Table 6.1: Tabulation of basic health data
| Category | Questions | Responses |
|---|---|---|
| Diet & Nutrition | How many meals do you eat in a day? | 3 meals + 1 snack |
| How often do you eat fruits and vegetables? | Daily | |
| Do you include lentils and grains in food? | Yes | |
| Do you include dairy/meat in food? | Yes | |
| How often do you eat junk food? | Rarely | |
| Daily intake of water (glasses)? | 7–8 glasses | |
| Physical Fitness | Do you engage in exercise? | Yes |
| What type of exercise? | Walking, yoga, outdoor games | |
| How many days a week? | 5–6 days | |
| Sleep Pattern | How many hours of sleep daily? | 8–9 hours |
| Usual sleep and wake-up time? | Sleep at 10 pm, wake at 6 am | |
| Do you take naps? | Sometimes, 30 mins | |
| Use of TV/phone before sleeping? | Not before 1 hour of sleep | |
| Sleeping area quiet and comfortable? | Yes | |
| Mental Well-being | How often do you feel stressed? | Sometimes |
| What do you do to relax? | Play, listen to music, talk with family | |
| Do you have hobbies? | Yes, reading & drawing | |
| Do you ask family/friends for help? | Always | |
| How often do you relax/meditate? | Daily | |
| Special Needs | Any vaccination/medicine advice? | Vaccinations on time, medicines if needed |
Table 6.2: Queries related to environmental factors
| Environment Questions | Answer |
|---|---|
| Is there an open drain in the area around your home? Are there places where water gets clogged? | Yes, sometimes water gets clogged in drains. |
| Is there any place with stagnant water (mosquito breeding)? | Yes, near drains and unused pots. |
| Is there timely garbage collection near your home? | Yes, garbage is collected daily. |
| What is the condition of any river or water body nearby? | The pond nearby is not very clean. |
| Is there a plastic/industry waste dump nearby? | No, there is no industry waste dump. |
| What is the quality of air in your home (pollution/smoke)? | Air is mostly clean but sometimes dusty. |
| Is there a source of noise pollution near your home? | Yes, traffic noise from the main road. |
Activity 6: Analysing data from the survey of family members
Table 6.3: Family member health data
| Name / Age | Factor | Cause of Concern | Who can address this issue? | Who is responsible for action? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rohan (12 yrs) | Diet & Nutrition | Eats junk food often | Parents | Self + Parents |
| Physical Fitness | Does not exercise daily | Teacher, Parents | Self | |
| Sleep Pattern | Sleeps late at night | Parents | Self | |
| Mental Well-being | Sometimes stressed about exams | Teacher, Parents | Self | |
| Environment | Mosquito problem in area | Municipality | Society + Municipality | |
| Grandfather (65 yrs) | Diet & Nutrition | Needs light, healthy food | Doctor | Family |
| Physical Fitness | Cannot walk long | Doctor | Self + Family | |
| Sleep Pattern | Trouble sleeping due to noise | Family | Society | |
| Mental Well-being | Feels lonely | Family members | Family | |
| Environment | Dusty air | Municipality | Society + Govt. |
Activity 7: Making a plan to improve your and family’s health
Table 6.4: Preventive healthcare action
| S. No. | Which observations cause you concern? | Who is responsible for ensuring it is taken care of? | How will you inform them? | Is there something you can do? If yes, then what is it? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dust and pollution near the road | Municipality / Family | Write an application to the local authority | Inform teachers, parents, and the local authority |
| 2 | Garbage not thrown properly | School staff / Students | Write an application to local authority | Use dustbins and spread awareness |
| 3. | Dust and pollution near road | Stagnant water near the school and home | Remove water, make a soak pit, cover tanks | Plant trees, wear masks |
Q. Discuss the analysis of data amongst your group. On the basis of this discussion, write down the most important action that your class will take to prevent ill health due to environmental factors in and around the school.
Ans. Our class will take action to keep the school area clean. We will stop water from collecting, dispose of waste properly, and spread awareness to prevent mosquito breeding and other health problems.
Activity 8: Preventing action related to the environment
Think of the key actions you will implement with your family.
1. Nutrient-rich diet (e.g., home cooked food, avoid junk food, like chips and packaged snacks)
Ans. (a) Eat fruits and vegetables daily.
(b) Drink milk.
(c) Avoid junk food.
2. Sleep (e.g., sleeping at the same time, avoiding electronic devices before sleep)
Ans. (a) Sleep at a fixed time.
(b) Avoid phone/TV before bed.
(c) Keep the room quiet.
3. Physical fitness (e.g., doing yoga with friends and family)
Ans. (a) Do yoga daily.
(b) Play outdoor games.
(c) Go for walks.
4. Mental well-being (e.g., eating together at night, playing games with family and friends)
Ans. (a) Spend time with family.
(b) Share feelings with friends.
(c) Do hobbies.
5. Environment (e.g., using mosquito nets, disposing waste)
Ans. (a) Use mosquito nets.
(b) Keep the area clean.
(c) Dispose of waste properly.
6. Any special needs to be met
Ans. (a) Take vaccines on time.
(b) Take medicines regularly.
(c) Go for check-ups.
What did I learn from others?
Q1. According to you, what were the two most important things you learnt during the visit to the health centre and from interaction with health professionals?
Ans. The two most important things I have learnt are the importance of vaccination and the use of first-aid.
Q2. Often, we are well aware of what we have to do and yet we do not practise it. For example, we all know exercise is important, but we often skip it. What do you think is the reason for this? What can be done to change this?
Ans. Because of laziness or carelessness. We should make a habit and follow a routine.
Think and Answer
Q1. What did you enjoy doing?
Ans. I enjoyed visiting the health centre and learning about first-aid and healthy habits.
Q2. What were the challenges you faced?
Ans. The challenges I faced were collecting information from family members and managing the time for activities.
Q3. What will you do differently next time?
Ans. Next time, I will plan my work earlier and take help from classmates and family to complete the tasks smoothly.
Q4. According to you, how does drinking water get polluted and how will you ensure it is safe for drinking?
Ans. Drinking water gets polluted by dirty drains, waste, and chemicals. I will ensure it is safe by boiling, filtering, or using clean sources of water.
Q5. Identify few examples of jobs related to the work you just did. For example, doctor, nurse, ASHA worker, Anganwadi worker, counseller. Can you think of any other kind of work related to health? Look around, speak to people and write your answer.
Ans. Some jobs related to this work are doctor, nurse, ASHA worker, Anganwadi worker, counsellor, dietician, and lab technician.