Hula

Abstract: Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPI) bear an unequal burden of hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Hula, the traditional dance of Hawaii, has shown to be a culturally meaningful form of moderate-vigorous physical activity for NHPI. A pilot study was done in Honolulu, Hawaii, to test a 12-week hula-based intervention, coupled with self-care education, on blood pressure management in NHPI with hypertension in 2013. NHPI with a systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥140 mmHg were randomized to the intervention (n = 27) or a wait-list control (n = 28). Blood pressure, physical functioning, and eight aspects of health-related quality of life (HRQL) were assessed. The intervention resulted in a reduction in SBP compared to control (−18.3 vs. −7.6 mmHg, respectively, p ≤ 0.05) from baseline to 3-month post-intervention. Improvements in HRQL measures of bodily pain and social functioning were significantly associated with SBP improvements in both groups. Using hula as the physical activity component of a hypertension intervention can serve as a culturally congruent strategy to blood pressure management in NHPI with hypertension. clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01995812

Abstract: The Wii Fit� is a form of interactive gaming designed to elicit health and fitness benefits to replace sedentary gaming. This study was designed to determine the effectiveness of Wii Fit� fitness games. The purpose of the study was to determine the %[latin capital V with dot above]O2max and energy expenditure from different Wii Fit� games at different levels including the step and hula games. Eight healthy young women completed a preliminary trial to determine [latin capital V with dot above]O2max and later played the Wii Fit� during 2 separate counterbalanced trials. During each session, subjects played levels of Wii Fit� games for 10 minutes each level. One session involved beginning and intermediate hula, and the other session involved beginning and intermediate steps. The [latin capital V with dot above]O2 was measured continuously via metabolic cart, and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) was assessed at the end of each game level. The lowest %[latin capital V with dot above]O2max, kcal·min-1, and RPE occurred during the beginning step game and the highest values occurred during the intermediate hula game. Respiratory exchange ratio was significantly higher in the intermediate hula than beginning hula game but was not significantly different between step game levels. The intermediate hula and step games produced the greatest energy expenditure with an equivalent effect of a walking speed of >5.63 km·h-1 (>3.5 miles·h-1). This is the first study to determine the percentage of [latin capital V with dot above]O2max and caloric expenditure elicited by different Wii Fit� video games at different game levels in adults. Findings suggest that the Wii Fit� can be used as an effective activity for promoting physical health in this population.

Abstract: \"Hawaiians on Tour: Hula Circuits Through the American Empire\" discusses how Hawaiian hula performances helped to broker the expansionist needs of the U.S. as Hawai'i was transformed from a minor tropical colony to an American tourist and military stronghold. Hula dancers from Hawai'i began performing across the U.S. continent in middlebrow American nightclubs in the 1930s and 1940s. Heralded in the Hawai'i media as \"hula queens\" and \"cinderellas,\" Hawaiian women who joined hula circuits served as ambassadors of aloha for the territory. Their commercial performances produced what I call an Ôimagined intimacy' between Hawai'i and the United States, a fantasy of reciprocal attachment that enabled Americans to possess their island colony physically and figuratively. American audiences indulged in a feminized and eroticized version of Hawai'i on stage: the islands as a different but welcoming place, willing to submit to American tourist and military advances. While elevating Native Hawaiians as the principal agents of Hawaiian culture, live hula performances simultaneously helped to erase the presence of large numbers of Asians who lived in Hawai'i. This article also foregrounds the experiences of entertainers who developed Hawaiian communities and performance networks across metropolitan areas. Hawaiian women were sophisticated travelers and settlers who took advantage of broader educational and employment opportunities available on the U.S. continent. During a time when many women found work in plantation and service industries, these hula circuits led them to lives and careers inside and outside of entertainment.

Abstract: Background. The Hula Empowering Lifestyle Adaption Study, funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, was a 5-year research trial evaluating the impact of the traditional Native Hawaiian dance form, hula, as an exercise modality for cardiac rehabilitation, compared with usual care, on individuals recently hospitalized for a cardiac event or who had recently undergone coronary artery bypass surgery. Method and results. Seeking to learn what physical, mental, spiritual, and social effects the intervention may have had for participants, we interviewed 20 of a total of 35 patients who were enrolled in the dance arm of the study. Classical thematic triangulation analysis was used. Participants recognized that hula’s coordination of body, mind, and spirit as a group activity deepened their appreciation of and connections to Hawaiian culture. This was true for those who were Native Hawaiian, connecting to their own cultural heritage, as well as for non–Native Hawaiians, who found ...