To address overweight and obesity in Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, in 2005 we formed a community-based participatory research (CBPR) project called the PILI (Partnerships to Improve Lifestyle Interventions) ‘Ohana Project, comprising community and academic investigators from five organizations:
Department of Native Hawaiian Health, a clinical department focusing on health disparities disfavoring Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders;
Hawaiʻi Maoli of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs, a nonprofit organization serving a confederation of 58 clubs across Hawaii and the continental United States;
Kula no na Po‘e Hawaiʻi, a nonprofit organization addressing the education and health needs of the Hawaiian Homestead communities of Papakōlea , Kewalo, and Kalāwahine;
Ke Ola Mamo, a nonprofit Native Hawaiian Health Care System for the island of O‘ahu providing health services primarily to low-income Native Hawaiians, and;
Kōkua Kalihi Valley Comprehensive Family Services, a community-owned nonprofit providing health services to Pacific Islanders and immigrant Asians.
We received a grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) for phases I and II of an 11-year CBPR initiative. This initiative is being implemented by NIMHD in three phases: phase I, a 3-year planning phase (2005–2008); phase II, a five-year intervention research phase (2008–2013); and phase III, a three-year dissemination phase (2013–2016).
The project is collectively owned amongst all research partners, both academic and community, on behalf of the Native Hawaiian and Pacific People communities served by the project. Community organizations serve as co-investigators with the academic researchers and play an active role in the planning, decision-making, and carrying out of research activities.
For more information visit the PILI ‘Ohana website.