Health Challenges for Native Hawaiians and the Similarities to Native Americans
When one thinks of Hawaii, visions of beautiful beaches with warm ocean waves lapping the shore and gracious native people welcoming visitors to their island paradise come to mind. With these visions, it is not so surprising that in general, when comparing the health status of Hawaii’s ethnically diverse population with the populations of other U.S. states, people in Hawaii are found to live longer and have lower rates of heart disease and cancer. However, (what is surprising to many is that Native) Hawaiians are one ethnic group in Hawaii who are not part of that health record. (Mokuau & Hughes, 1995, p. 46) Sadly, not only do Native Hawaiians share a similar story of conquest at the hands of Americans, but Native Hawaiians’ health concerns are also comparable to those experienced by the Native American people.
