Healthy Hawaii Initiative

Hawaii Department of Health

Purpose:

To implement a social ecological approach to reduce obesity, increase physical activity, and improve nutrition 

Target Population:

All Hawaiians 

Program Goals:

• To increase the years of healthy life for all people of Hawaii and reduce existing health disparities among ethnic groups in Hawaii

• To educate on leading causes of preventative death

• To encourage the public to incorporate healthy choices into their lifestyles

• To reduce the burden of chronic disease

Years in Operation:

2000 – present

Results:

Evaluation of the program is divided into long-term (10–20 years), intermediate (five–10 years), and short-term (two–five years) indicators. Long-term outcomes focus on health conditions significantly related to physical inactivity and poor nutrition such as stroke and cardiovascular disease mortality and diabetes prevalence. Behavioral data results show positive trends. The amount of “no leisure time” physical activity in adults decreased by 7.2 percent from 25.5 percent in 1999 to 18.3 percent in 2003. Over the same time period, the percentage of adults eating five or more servings of fruit/vegetables per day also increased by 5.2 percent from 22.4 percent to 27.6 percent. The percentage of overweight and obese adults decreased by 0.2 percent in Hawaii. For the rest of the United States, the median percentage of overweight and obese adults increased by 3.0 percent.

Funding:

Funds from the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement fund are being used to fund the Healthy Hawaii Initiative. In 1999, the Hawaii legislature appropriated $3,665,665 of these funds for health promotion and disease prevention programs.

Key Partners:

University of Hawaii; Hawaii Department of Education; Hawaii County Planning Department; Honolulu Theatre for Youth; Olelo Community Television; local schools; parks and recreation departments; community fundraisers; local businesses; faith-based organizations

What Works and Why:

The Healthy Hawaii Initiative has worked because of its overall focus on improving health for all Hawaiians. Any school, organization or business can take part in Healthy Hawaii activities and programs, and any individual is able to use the Initiative's Web site to find ways to improve their overall health. The Initiative is also the only long-term, statewide program to implement a social ecological approach to reduce obesity, increase physical activity, and improve nutrition. The partnership between the state Department of Health and the state
Department of Education, in addition to the University of Hawaii, provides a true multi-disciplinary setting in which to move forward with interventions.

Structure and Operations:

The Healthy Hawaii Initiative is made up of five components - schools, community programs, public and professional education, research and evaluation, and the nutrition education network - focused on the social-ecological model to effect behavior change at multiple levels of society. Programs are focused on three main areas:

• Start Walking - The program provides ideas on how to implement walking into a person's everyday routine, and how to make walking fun. Fitness maps of 12 walking-friendly areas in Hawaii are provided, as well as direction on how to set up community walking teams. The program also provides tips on how to exercise at work and how to implement walking clubs in faith-based organizations.
• Tobacco Free - The Initiative offers tips on how to quit smoking and why becoming tobacco-free improves your health. Ideas are provided on how to implement smoke-free homes, schools, communities and businesses. A Smoker's Quit-line is also offered to Hawaii residents.
  

• Healthy Eating - The program describes benefits of healthy eating as well as ways to eat healthy at home and on the go. Tips on how to shop smarter at the grocery store are provided, along with tips on eating healthy at restaurants.

The program also sponsors four different educational campaigns throughout the state: Fruits and Veggies. Good Choice!; Step It Up Hawaii; You Gotta Start Somewhere; and 1% or Less Is Best.

Barriers to Success:

One of the major barriers to the success of the Healthy Hawaii Initiative is the participation rate among Hawaii residents, especially because Hawaii's population is very ethnically and culturally diverse. Another major barrier is funding for the project. Although the funding currently comes from the Master Settlement Agreement, funding in the long term may be difficult to secure. 

More Information:

http://www.healthyhawaii.com

Download:

Download this program information in PDF format.