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رده
کتابخانه
محل استقرار
TL9p57177f
انگلیسی
How do Native Hawaiian Conceptualizations of Well-being Inform the Meaning and Social Function of Food?
[Thesis]
Kuratani, Darrah
Kagawa Singer, Marjorie
UCLA
2015
UCLA
2015
ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATIONHow do Native Hawaiian Concepts of Well-being Inform the Meaning And Social Function of Food?ByDarrah Leigh Goo KurataniDoctor of Philosophy in Public HealthUniversity of California, Los Angeles, 2015Professor Marjorie Kagawa Singer, ChairIt is well known that indigenous communities are vulnerable to the plight of the social gradient of health and are overly burdened by chronic diseases. One common risk factor for the major chronic illnesses among indigenous communities, such as heart disease, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and cancer is obesity. The indigenous people of Ka Pae Aina (the Hawaiian Islands), the Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiians), reside as minorities in their native land, and have the poorest health outcomes. They also have one of the highest rates of obesity in the world. Even though obesity rates have risen for all groups nationally, Native Hawaiians are almost twice as likely to be obese. In Hawaii, Native Hawaiians have the highest obesity rate (47%) when compared to other ethnic and racial groups, including Non-Hispanic Whites (NHW) (21%), Japanese (16%), and Filipinos (21%) (HHDW, 2013). The epidemiology clearly shows that the problem exists, but current research does not explain why the obesity rate for Native Hawaiians is so incredibly high. Such reasons remain poorly explored, and this lack of knowledge undermines efforts to effectively reduce the rates of obesity. The U.S. colonized native Hawaiians in 1898, and colonial culture and laws have worked to marginalize, stigmatize and alienate Native Hawaiian people from the larger society. The overarching impact of imposed and embedded colonial denigration of the Native Hawaiian people has been reported to be the perpetuation of negative self-image and their social position has been restricted to the bottom of the political hierarchy. The consequences of both these forces generally has been to limit their lifestyle choices and options about their own health and well-being. Yet these factors are rarely included as active factors in the theoretical frameworks used to address the health status of this population. Rather, studies that address Native Hawaiians and other indigenous peoples, often intimate that their culture is a large part of the problem. However, interventions designed to improve the negative health status of native peoples and Native Hawaiians, in particular, do not seem to identify what it is about culture, and in particular, whose culture, may actually be influencing the behaviors that lead to overweight and obesity. Previous interventions that have integrated cultural values and practices in weight loss programs with Native Hawaiians have shown initial benefit, but were unable to sustain long term results. This is likely because the focus was on individual level beliefs and practices. The larger social and political forces that address daily realities of work and low incomes, and institutionalized discrimination towards Native Hawaiians were not addressed. Individual level strategies are necessary, but not sufficient to sustain healthier choices if these contextual forces are not addressed. In the 1970s, the Hawaiian Renaissance was founded and became an emotional and political turning point for Native Hawaiians. Its goal was to reinvigorate cultural pride and interest in the values and wisdom of Native Hawaiian culture in contrast to the 120 years of explicit denigration of Native Hawaiian culture, and explicit pressure to assimilate into white European Christian culture. The spirit of the Hawaiian renaissance has given rise to a counter consciousness and spurred an ongoing struggle to recognize and reconcile the two competing sets of cultural messages for the native peoples and, primarily, the political power and social structure of Hawaiian society today.
Kuratani, Darrah
Kagawa Singer, Marjorie
UCLA
مطالعه متن کتاب p
[Thesis]
276903
a
Y
