Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 19, Number 12, 1 December 2002 — Hawaiians losing robust stature; improved diet and regular excercise equal better health [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Hawaiians losing robust stature; improved diet and regular excercise equal better health

By CJaire Hughes, DrPH., R.D. Department of Health

The holiday sea~ son is a danger~ ous time for mary of us. Endless parties and sweet food

gifts ean add up to a five, ten or fif~ teen pound weight gain. f/Iany of those pounds heeome permanent. Americans are getting fatter and are not aware it is happening. For some time now, clothing manufacturers have been resizing clothes3 allowing

us to think that we are smaller than we are. Currentclothing styles hide wide waistlines and hips. Furniture manufacturem have made chairs and beds larger to hold wider people. Some airlines have made their seats bigger. In a most startling move, a large nationwide department store announced recently that it will widen its aisles to accommodate bigger Americans. The current "holiday season" coincides with the f/Iakahiki in old Hawai' i. In ancient tim.es, this was a time of increased physical exercise,

as many took part in athletic eompetitions of many types, such as foot racing, s ledding, surfmg, mar~ tial arts, etc. Being overweight causes discom~ fort and some health problems. Being way overweight — obese — will definitely lead to illness. Being way, way overweight — morbidly obese — is classified as a state of ill health. We need to be particularly cautious, starting now, not to gain weight during the holidays, as we could ruin our health permanently. A U.S. health agency, the Centem for Disease Control and Prevention, surveyed Americans and found that over the last ten years, obesity has increased in 47 states, Hawai'i among them. In fact, Hawai'i has doubled its obesity rate during those ten yeam. Most troubling is the obe~ sity rate among Hawai'i's children, whieh is higher than the nahonal average. Doctors warn that the alarming trend of childhood obesity is the biggest health threat to ehildren. Sadly, for the last eouple of decades, Hawaiians have had the highest numbers of overweight and obese. This tremendously increases the occurrence of high blood pres~ sure, stroke, heart trouble, diabetes, cancer, gout, and other health prob~ lems lihked to being overweight. Hawaiians already have the highest rates of death from heartconditions, cancer, and diabetes due, in large part, to being overweight. Being overweight has not always been an issue for Hawaiians. The firs t explorars to Hawai'i were in awe of the beautiful physiques of Hawaiians. They left numerous written descriptions showing their admiration. Captains of sailing ships, such as Captain Portlock, described the people in Wai'alae on O'ahu as amiable and hardworking. He met the Maui chief Kahekili on

O' ahu and wrote that Kahekili had a good physique and regal appear~ anee. Portlock guessed that Kahekili was about 50 years old, but Kamakau wrote that Kahekili would have been about 80 years at this encounter. In 1787, Captain VIeares took Ka'iana to Canton, China. The Chinese so admired Ka'iana's majestic appearance, they showered him with gifts of plants and live~ stock to bring back to Hawai'i. Captain Vancouver admired the imposing stature of the ali'i wahine Kānekapolei, wife of Kamehameha and asked the king's permission to compare his height to that of the tall, stately Kānekapolei. Alas, he merely reached to ha: mid~chest. Since 1778, Hawaiians have lost mueh of their robust stature. This is very worrisome to health workers. We are particularly concerned about the youngstem who start out life too heavy to enjoy their childhood. The answer seems simple: avoid fatty foods, eat less, drihk fewer sodas and exercise more. Adding vegeta~ bles to the diet, especially dark green and orange ones, boosts immune systems and contributes to health. VIaking these adjustments is very, very difficult. The family has to do it together. Parents have to help children with monitoring weight. VIore hard physical play and fewer fried foods and soda will help them stay at a healthy weight. Fat is the most fattening of nutrients; choose low or zero fat or skip it totally. Save some calories during the week before a big party; cut way down on fatty foods, don'thave that soda and do a little more exercise, i.e., walk, don't take the elevator. These sim~ ple steps will help you enjoy some of the special party foods without gaining weight. ■

Oī.AKĪNO

While in China on behalf of King Kamehameha I, High Chief Ka'iana's statuesque appearance was admired by on!ookers in Canton. im age: Guava Graphics.