The Hawai'i Community Resource Obesity Project: results from the Lifestyle Enhancement Program.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe the effects of a community-based, multidisciplinary team-led, lifestyle modification program on short-term weight loss in a morbidly obese (mean BMI 40.8 kg/m2), predominantly Native Hawaiian population.

Methods: Descriptive study comparing weight loss over time in intervention and control groups.

Diabetes management: utilizing community health workers in a Hawaiian/Samoan population.

Background: Although not widely utilized, community health workers (CHWs) have been shown to enhance diabetes education and management efforts among racial/ethnic minority populations.

Objective: To examine the effectiveness of CHWs on diabetes management among a population with primarily Native Hawaiian and Samoan ethnic minority participants with HbA1c greater than 10%.

Design: Descriptive study comparing HbA1c readings of participants with diabetes with and without CHW intervention.

A community-based asthma management program: effects on resource utilization and quality of life.

Objective: The Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center (WCCHC) developed an integrated community-based asthma management program in an effort to reduce inappropriate medical utilization and improve quality of life in their pediatric asthma population.

Methods: Over a period of three years, eighty-eight children with asthma participated in the community-based asthma management program. During this time, an automated asthma tracking system was developed, the WCCHC established a standard system of care based on the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program Expert Panel Report Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma (NAEPP Asthma Guidelines) adapted for cultural sensitivity, and a coordinated team care approach was implemented in the asthma management program.