OHA releases report on the health of Native Hawaiian women

News Release from OHA May 4, 2018

Honolulu, HI — The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) today held an event to launch Haumea: Transforming the Health of Native Hawaiian Women and Empowering Wāhine Well-Being, a 150-page report on the well-being of Native Hawaiian females. The launch of the report comes ahead of National Women’s Health Week, which is May 13-19, 2018.

About 100 leaders and representatives of various Native Hawaiian-serving organizations, state agencies, and not-for-profit organizations attended the launch event, which included presentations and speeches about the importance of the study’s findings as well as discussions on recommendations and next steps. Haumea coincides with May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, when communities across the United States celebrate the unique cultural heritage of Polynesians, Melanesians, Micronesians, and Asian Americans.

Haumea builds upon Kānehōʻālani: Transforming the Health of Native Hawaiian Men, OHA’s 2017 report on the well-being of Native Hawaiian men. This year’s Haumea report is grounded in data gleaned from various state departments, federal survey systems, among other sources. However, what sets Haumea’s apart from previous research is its wide-ranging scope and cultural emphasis toward solutions and systems advocacy.

“OHA’s goal with this report is to raise the profile of the health challenges and inequities facing our native women so we can have an open discussion within our community, with the broader public and with decision makers about how to move forward with solutions,” said Dr. Kamanaʻopono Crabbe, OHA Chief Executive Officer/Ka Pouhana.

This new publication examines important issues impacting Native Hawaiian females from keiki to kupuna, including mental and emotional well-being, suicidality, physical health, chronic diseases, maternal and child health, intimate partner violence, incarceration, economic wellness, poverty rates, underrepresented occupations, gender wage gaps, and much more. The report also underscores the importance of investing in community and culture as a source of resilince and well-being for Native Hawaiians. Haumea includes system-wide recommendations for policy and programmatic consideration to help elevate women’s well-being as a priority in Hawaiʻi.

OHA is developing a similar report on the health of Native Hawaiian ‘ohana, slated for release in 2019, which will feature a focus on families, including transgender non-binary research, data and recommendations.

To view Haumea: Transforming the Health of Native Hawaiian Women and Empowering Wāhine Well-Being, please visit https://www.oha.org/wahinehealth.

To view Kānehōʻālani: Transforming the Health of Native Hawaiian Men, please visit https://www.oha.org/kanehealth. 

KITV: OHA plans to release a similar report on the health of Native Hawaiian 'OHANA  next year.