Association between perceived racism and physiological stress indices in Native Hawaiians

The association between racism and the physical health of native U.S. populations has yet to be examined despite their high risk for stress-related disorders and a history of discrimination toward them. We examined the correlation between perceived racism and the two physiological stress indices of cortisol level and blood pressure in 146 adult Native Hawaiians. Attributed and felt racism were assessed with a 10-item shortened version of the Oppression Questionnaire. Height, weight, blood pressure, and salivary cortisol samples (AM and PM) were collected and analyzed along with information on Hawaiian ancestry, BMI, age, sex, marital status, education level, general psychological stress, and ethnic identity. The results indicated that Native Hawaiians reporting more attributed racism had significantly (P < .05) lower average cortisol levels than those reporting less attributed racism, after adjusting for socio-demographic, biological, and psychosocial confounders. Native Hawaiians reporting more felt racism had a significantly higher systolic blood pressure than those reporting less, but this association was not significant after adjusting for the aforementioned confounders. Racism appears to be a chronic stressor that can “get under the skin” of Native Hawaiians by affecting their physical health and risk for stress-related diseases, possibly, through mechanisms of cortisol dysregulation.     

Depression and Help-Seeking Among Native Hawaiian Women

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to gain insight about Native Hawaiian (NH) women’s experiences with, and viewpoints of, depression and help-seeking behaviors (N =?30: 10 from the university and 20 from the community). More women reported depression in the interviews than through their Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) responses. Quantitative data revealed 57% of the women had ever received mental health help (80% of university vs. 45% of community sample). There was a range of satisfaction reported for various types of mental health care, with satisfaction being the highest for spiritual/religious advisor/folk healer. During the interviews, one woman reported that she is currently receiving professional care and five women are seeking help from their family/social network. Future research should explore reasons for the differences in the quantitative and qualitative findings regarding depression and associated help-seeking as well as in the satisfaction levels by type of help-seeking.     

Ethnic and Gender Differences in Ideal Body Size and Related Attitudes among Asians,Native Hawaiians,and Whites

Often overlooked explanations for the varied obesity rates across ethno-cultural groups include differences in attitudes toward excess weight, with certain populations assumed to have larger ideal body sizes (IBS). Past studies found ethnic and gender difference in IBS across and within different groups. This study examined the effects of ethnicity and gender, and their interaction, in accounting for differences in IBS and attitudes toward those ideals. Multiple regression analyses were used to better understand the effects of ethnicity and gender in accounting for differences in perceived IBS according to ethnic-specific and Western ideals and attitudes in 1,124 people of Native Hawaiian, Filipino, Japanese, and White ancestry. The analyses controlled for socio-demographics, body mass index, health-related behaviors, and psychosocial variables. The results indicated that Native Hawaiians selected larger ethnic IBS, Filipinos selected smaller ethnic IBS, and Native Hawaiians selected slightly smaller Western IBS than other ethnic groups. Overall, males selected larger IBS compared to females. Interaction analyses indicated that the relationship between ethnic IBS and attitude toward that IBS varied as a function of ethnicity, such that Native Hawaiians who selected a larger ethnic IBS held less favorable attitudes toward that IBS. The discrepancy between Native Hawaiians'' selection of larger ethnic IBS as ideal and their less positive attitude toward that selection warrants more investigation. However, it does suggest that Native Hawaiians, on a personal level, do not prefer larger body sizes, which contradicts their perceptions of social norms. These findings have important implications for obesity interventions among Native Hawaiians.     

Examining the Relationship Between Physical Activity and Self-Efficacy for Exercise Among Overweight and Obese Marshallese Adults

Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health - This study examined associations between physical activity frequency and self-efficacy for exercise (SEE) among Marshallese adults in the United States....