By student journalist Jessica Olga Henao at UH Med Now
More than 200 participants of The PILI ʻOhana Lifestyle Program turned out in Mānoa last month to celebrate the 11th year of the program, which is helping hundreds of people improve their health.
PILI (Partnership for Improving Lifestyle Intervention ) is one of the longest-running community-based educational and research partnerships in Hawaiʻi, and it has led to measurable, positive outcomes. A particular focus of the outreach are Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders who generally suffer from higher rates of obesity and other diseases. Principal Investigator of the project is Dr. Keaweʻaimoku Kaholokula, Chair of the John A. Burns School of Medicine Department of Native Hawaiian Health.
With federal funding from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) and the US Health & Human Services Department and local supporters including the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and HMSA Foundation, PILI ʻOhana gives everyday families and communities a chance to immerse themselves to living a healthier lifestyle by implementing simple and achievable goals. PILI ʻOhana’s mission is: To integrate community wisdom and scientific enquiry to develop effective community-based health promotion programs to achieve social justice and health equity in Hawaiʻi and the larger Pacific. At the Mānoa celebration, participants shared their success stories:
“PILI gave me a second chance. Before this program I wanted to give up on life. I am not healthy, I get sick all the time and I’m having hard time loose weight. Now, I pule to ke Akua (pray to God) that he help me, ’cause I am learning to help myself. I know I can do it now. I am learning so much about how to take care of my health and exercise, even if only from my wheelchair, but I can. This program helps me plenty. Mahalo for all the lessons.”-PILI ʻOhana member
PILI ʻOhana focuses on healthy eating, being physically active, managing stress and time, and building support within families and in the community. The program is culturally-adapted for Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders and stresses diabetes self-care, based on American Diabetes Association guidelines and basic information about diabetes.
Read more about the success of PILI ʻOhana in the Hawaiʻi Journal of Medicine & Public Health
The photo with story shows a physician and patient in the Lau Ola Clinic, operated by JABSOM’s University Health Partners of Hawaiʻi.