Pacific Islander CultureBy: Rosiland Scobey

Asian & Pacific Islander Health Forum. (2010)

Pacific Islanders and Native Hawaiians (PI & NA)

“Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander” refers to persons with ancestry in any of the original peoples of the islands of Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia

0.3% of American population

Franks, 2010

An American of Japanese and European Ancestry Born in Hawaii

Raised in 1950’s Hawaii

Moo-moo’s on Fridays and Lei’s on King Day

Hoales

“It’s not all just beaches and surfing”

Franks, 2010

Attitude Toward Health CareMom

Family of 11

Access to Health CareOrthodontics

Language barriers

Disparities◦Lumping◦Chronic Illnesses

Franks, 2010Ro, 2010

Franks, 2010

Communication PatternsVerbal praise and disappointment

An accent

Relationships Among PeopleNot “touchy feely”

Ohana

Franks, 2010Hintz, 1999

Similarities Between Our Cultures

Religion

Importance of education

Respect for

elders

Taro and yams

Differences Between Our CulturesAquatic recreation

-he’e nalu-Sliding on a wave

We are “touchy feely”

How we view biculturalism

Implications for Therapeutic InterventionBrain damage from hypoxia

caused by drowning

Celebrating 1st birthdays and valuing elders

American Samoans and football

Franks, 2010Hintz, 1999

Ro, 2010

Out of the ShadowsHealth Care Disparity SolutionsDisaggregation

Community-based Participatory Research (CBPR)

Increased research

Thomas, 2007

Hawaiian TutorAloha

Ae

Aole

Mahalo

“Da kine grinds Hawaii mo bettah.”

Welcome, goodbye, I love you

Yes

No

Thank you

“The food in Hawaii is really good.”

Thomas, 2007

Old Hawaiian saying:

“If you plan for one year, plant taro.

If you plan for ten

years, plant koa.

But if you plan for a hundred years, teach your children.”

ReferencesAsian & Pacific Islander Health Forum. (2010). Asian & Pacific

Islander Health Disparities. Retrieved from http://www.apiahf.org/images/stories/Documents/publications_database/nhpi_health_disparities.pdf

Bitton, A., Zaslavsky, A. M., Ayanian, J.Z. (2010). Health risks, chronic diseases, and access to care among US Pacific Islanders. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 25, 435-440. DOI 10.1007/s11606-1241-0

Hintz, M. (1999). Many islands, many cultures. In D. Teramoto (Consultant), America the beautiful: Hawaii (pp. 104-115). New York, NY: Children’s Press

Ro, M. J., Yee, A. K. (2010). Out of the shadows: Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. American Journal of Public Health, 100, 776-778. DOI 10.2105/AJPH.2010.192229

Thomas, W. D. (2007). Portraits of the states: Hawaii. Milwaukee, WI: Gareth Stevens Publishing.