Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 34, Number 3, 1 Malaki 2017 — WORKING TOWARD A HEALTHY HAWAI'I Aloha mai kākou, [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

WORKING TOWARD A HEALTHY HAWAI'I Aloha mai kākou,

Aehanee encounter with a good friend at Longs Drugs in Nu'uanu was both a reunion and a wake-up eall. Brother Ike and I have been friends for more than 25 years but he'd had a heart attack since the last time I saw him. The scare motivated him to start eating healthier, walking and practicing yoga for exercise, and using meditation to reduce his stress. Luckily, he welcomed the opportunity to take charge of his own heahh. And by sharing his story, he inspired me to take stock of my own. As mueh as I ean, I follow the 80/20 rule, whieh means eating right and managing weight and stress 80 percent of the time and allowing rewards in moderation the rest of the time. It's easier to preach than to walk the walk but the Saturday after running into Ike, I was out walking in Moanalua Valley - and two days later I was doing it again. My daughter would say that I could drop a few more pounds but she's also noticed that I'm cooking meals at home more often, and that we're eating a lot more poi, fish, sweet potatoes and vegetables than we used to. Taking care of myself is a personal responsibility but it's also my kuleana as a father, as a brother and son to my 'ohana, and as a member of my community. Ike isn't even 60 yet, whieh makes his heart attack a sobering reminder of the health disparities Native Hawaiians need to overcome. Our upcoming report on kāne heahh shows that Hawaiian men are more likely to develop chronic conditions like heart disease and diabetes, and at an earlier age. Eliminating these health disparities is a priority at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, whieh is why OHA is sponsoring the 2017 Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes on March 18 and providing funding for an obesity prevention program at Kualapu'u Puhlie Conversion Charter School. You ean leam more about both in this issue.

We've awarded nearly $2 million to our current grantees for pro- ^ grams and projects that encourage our beneficiaries to make healthy \ choices. Our funding supports community farms in Hāna and Kalihi Valley, giving members of those communities more access to fresh I food, medicinal plants and opportunities to mālama 'āina. Other OHA I grantees offer afterschool fitness programs, culturally-minded weight " management programs and substance abuse treatment. One grant allows Hui Mālama Ola Nā 'Ōiwi to offer traditional healing education for lā'au lapa'au, lomilomi ha ha, lā'au kāhea and ho'oponopono. ^ We're also collaborating with other agencies to improve the

wellbeing of our lāhui. As part of the Native Hawaiian Heahh Task Force, OHA helped draft recommendations for the state Legislature aimed at better heahh statewide through direct services, broader access to education and job opportunities and I creating safer, pedestrian-friendly communities. I We should all be like Brother Ike and weleome the oppor- J tunity to take control of our heahh, if not for ourselves then I for the people who depend on us. If you're not sure where ^ to start, more than 50 organizations will be at the Papakōlea 'Ohana Heahh Fair on March 4 to offer advice. If you stop by OHA's table, tell them I sent you. 'O au iho nō me ke aloha a me ka 'oia'i'o, V— * — a i Kamana'opono M. Crabbe, Ph.D. Ka Pouhana/Chief Executive 0fficer

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