the basicsin 1993 the un general assembly decided that 15 may should be observed as the international day of families in 2023 it will be dedicated to raising awareness on the impact of demographic trends on families some facts life expectancy reached 728 years in 2019 an improvement of around 9 years since 1990 by 2030 nearly 12 of the worlds population will be 65 years of age or olderby 2050 average longevity would reach around 772 years over 23 individuals live in slums in urban india 2 of the population is homeless and an additional 20 live in inadequate housing source world social report 2023 un family matters research shows that people who live in families tend to live longer family people live healthier lives than those who live alone most of them get a supportive environment to cope with stress and illnessfamily can also encourage healthy habits such as regular exercise and eating a balanced diet children in family children who grow up in families tend to have better mental health families provide a stable and nurturing environment it helps children develop a strong sense of selfworth and confidence families provide opportunities for socialization and learning changing families the family system in india is unique and diverse traditionally indian families have been patriarchal this is changing now and many adopting more egalitarian structures families also becoming more nuclear with fewer extended families living together survey findings the national family health survey shows that families play a crucial role in healthcare family members often the first point of contact for healthcare they play a vital role in preventing and managing illnesses families play a critical role in promoting maternal and child health too expert speaktheir genetic makeup and the environment around them shape childrens personalities if the family atmosphere is positive children too learn to think positively living in a good family is very important dr manjusha giri former chairperson of adolescence health academy of iap indiatext chaitanya deshpande