Pictured: Nelanette Uʻilani Lee, a participant in the study, dances hula. Deborah Manog Dimaya photo.
By Deborah Manog Dimaya, UH Med Now Correspondent
Could hula be the answer to reducing hypertension and high blood pressure? That was the premise for a six month study by researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi John A. Burns School of Medicine (UH JABSOM).
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, in Hawaiʻi , Native Hawaiians are 70 percent more likely to die from heart disease than whites.
This study looked at hula as the foundation for hypertension management for Native Hawaiians and found promising results in the Ola Hou i ka Hula program.
Dr. Keaweʻaimoku Kaholokula, a professor and chair of JABSOM’s Department of Native Hawaiian Health, is a co-author of the study, along with Mele Look, Tricia Mabellos, Guangxiang Zhang, Mapuana de Silva, Sheryl Yoshimura, Cappy Solatorio, Thomas Wills, Todd B. Seto, and Ka’imi Sinclair.
“We thought hula has all the ingredients to make for a very good health promotion strategy. It has physical activity that can be adjusted for different ages, which is really good for kupuna; it has a social component of people interacting with each other and it has the spiritual/cultural aspects that people are asking for to better manage their health,” said Dr. Kaholokula, JABSOM professor and chair of the Department of Native Hawaiian Health.
Sixty-seven year old Nelanette Uʻilani Lee, a Hawaiian studies teacher at Soto Academy participated in the study. She says in addition to gaining better heart health, she also grew closer to her Native Hawaiian heritage.
“In hula you will find that you have rhythm, you will find your pulse, grace and your inner beauty will come out,” said Lee.
The initial study was conducted by Kokua Kalihi Valley Family Comprehensive Services and Kula no na Po’e Hawai’i in Papakolea in partnership with the Department of Native Hawaiian Health.
More photos on our JABSOM Flickr
This story also aired as part of the “Aging Well” series with Diane Ako. That story, on KITV News.