Building the Beloved Community: Reflections in Understanding Relationships to Food for Native Hawaiians.

Introduction: Health disparities within the Native Hawaiian community have been well-documented for many years.

Methods: Innovative, culturally relevant, and community-generated approaches are required to truly change the trajectory and impact of chronic illnesses for Native Hawaiians. This article describes the experiences of residents from Wai'anae and Waimānalo who were trained in a process called Building the Beloved Community, and facilitated group sessions for a community-based participatory research (CBPR) project around 'ai pono (eating healthy), seeking to understand Native Hawaiian community residents' perceptions of current and historical influences on eating.

Connecting culturally and spiritually to healthy eating: A community assessment with Native Hawaiians.

Many of the chronic illnesses disproportionately experienced by Native Hawaiians are directly related to poor diets and long-standing obesity beginning in childhood. We report on the findings of in-depth key informant interviews (N=14) that took place in two Native Hawaiian communities as part of a larger, community-based participatory research study that included a community assessment through individual interviews and focused group discussions, and a pilot intervention targeting pregnant women, their infants, and families. Four categories emerged from the qualitative analysis of interview transcripts that described an understanding of "healthy eating": family roles and responsibilities, aspects of community and physical environment, deeper spiritual meaning of food, and ways of operationalizing personal eating choices.