Photo courtesy of Pete Orelup
Research
Goals
A goal of Hā Kūpuna is to advance knowledge on Native Hawaiian elders and to disseminate this information to improve the lives of kūpuna, their families, communities, organizations, and society.
Completed Research
Assessing the Health and Long-term Care Needs of Native Hawaiian Elders and their Caregivers: Results from Key Informant Interviews in Hawai‘i.
- Interviewed recognized experts in the Native Hawaiian community from all islands
- Identified health and long-term issues, needs, and preferences of kūpuna and caregivers
- Technical report published 2008. (See publication section for PDF file.)
Cross-Ethnic Comparison of Life Expectancy
- Constructed life tables using 2000 data for 7 ethnic groups in Hawai`i: Native Hawaiians, Caucasians, Chinese, Filipinos, Japanese, Koreans, and Samoans.
- Estimated life expectancy at birth for 7 groups
- Estimated life expectancy for 4 age groups: <15 (representing premature mortality), 15–65 (representing working age), and 66–84 and ≥85 (representing senescent mortality).
- Manuscript published in Public Health Reports, July 2009
Cross-Ethnic Comparison of Health Risk Data
- Requested special run of health data for Native Hawaiians, Caucasians, Filipino, and Japanese elders in three age groups (55+, 60+, and 65+) from the Hawai‘i Health Study (HHS) and the Hawai‘i Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).
- Technical report to be published 2009.
Development of Life-Course Framework to Investigate Health and Resiliency in Native Hawaiian Elders
- Developed model based on life course and resiliency theory to provide a context for analyzing and understanding social and health disparities in older Native Hawaiians.
- Developed historical timeline with key cultural and historical markers in the lives of nā kūpuna
- Linked timeline to health and social/health delivery strategies.
- Manuscript published in Social Work, 2009.
Current Research
- Investigation of resiliency among Native Hawaiian elders using a lifecourse framework. Research Plan (pdf)
- Assessment of kūpuna and caregiver health and long-term care needs in Hawaii.
- Listen to the whisper: Collecting messages of the kūpuna.