Reid Ginoza at 08:43, 24 July 2006

2006-07-24T08:43:59Z

Jennifer Wada at 12:23, 11 March 2006

2006-03-11T12:23:10Z

New page

Dispossession and defeat also have
psychological, social and c u l t u r al
consequences for Native Hawaiians. By
a l l major social indices — health,
education, employment, income —
Nat: e Hawaiians display d i s t i n c t d i s -
par- t i e s with their fellow c i t i z e n s.
Health Concerns. The impact of
Western diseases on Native Hawaiians
was h i s t o r i c a l l y devastating. Waves
of epidemics reduced the estimated
contact population of 300,000 in 1778,
to 34,000 by 1893. The implications
of this decimation have been
considered in a variety of contexts.
Western observers, beginning in
1838, noted that unless some dramatic
improvement were made in the health
conditions of Native Hawaiians that
the race would disappear. These
i n i t i a l feelings of horror and dismay
over the fatal impact of Western
contact gradually altered.
After the publication of Darwin's
Origin of Species, Europeans and
Americans began to adopt the a t t i t u d es
and policies of Social Darwinism. The
theory of "the survival ^f the
f i t t e s t " was applied to nations, and
validated Western expansion and
imperialism as the natural working out
of an inevitable progression of
conquest and colonization.
Acquired immunity and i n t e r marriage
among Native Hawaiians,
however, was reversing this trend.
Demographic trends now indicate that
the population had reached i t s lowest
level in the final decade of the 19th
i_entury, would s t a b i l i z e for about
twenty years, and then begin a
dramatic recovery.
Today's Native Hawaiian population
numbers an estimated 175,000
i n d i v i d u a l s , more than half of whom
are less than 19 years old.
The health c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of this
groupi however, are adversely and
c o n s i s t e n t l y affected by mental health
d i s o r d e r s , s t r e s s - r e l a t e d diseases,
and an absence of c u l t u r a l l y - s e n s i t i ve
health professionals.
As developed in depth within the
body of this study, the followinq
findings are offered:
• the psychological despair and
sense of being a conquered
people in their own homeland is
a factor in the health conditions
of Native Hawaiians;
• Native Hawaiians have the
lowest l i f e expectancy of any
ethnic group in the State of
Hawai'i: 67 years compared to
a Statewide average of 74
years;
• the leading causes of death for
Native Hawaiians, in order of
prevalence, are heart diseases,
cancers, stroke, and
accidents;
• Native Hawaiians have the
highest infant death rate in
the State of Hawai'i: 14 per
1,000 live births compared to a
statewide average of 10 per
thousand;
• mental health assessments
indicate that Native Hawaiians
have a higher-than-expected
incidence of personality
d i s o r d e r s , mental retardation,
and drug abuse than their proportion
of the population; and
• suicide rates among Native
Hawaiian males - ( s t a t i s t i c s are
unavailable for females) is the
highest in the State of
Hawai'i: 22.5 per 100,000 in
the population, compared to a
r a t e of 13.5 for males of all
races in Hawai'i — rates in
the 20-34 year age group of
Native Hawaiians was even
higher.
487

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 Dispossession and defeat also have
-psychological, social and c u l t u r al
+psychological, social and cultural
 consequences for Native Hawaiians. By
-a l l major social indices — health,
+all major social indices — health,
 education, employment, income —
-Nat: e Hawaiians display d i s t i n c t d i s -
+Native Hawaiians display distinct disparities with their fellow citizens.
-par- t i e s with their fellow c i t i z e n s.
-Health Concerns. The impact of
+<u>Health Concerns.</u> The impact of
 Western diseases on Native Hawaiians
-was h i s t o r i c a l l y devastating. Waves
+was historically devastating. Waves
 of epidemics reduced the estimated
 contact population of 300,000 in 1778,
@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 of this decimation have been
 considered in a variety of contexts.
 Western observers, beginning in
 , noted that unless some dramatic
@@ Line 19: / Line 20: @@
 conditions of Native Hawaiians that
 the race would disappear. These
-i n i t i a l feelings of horror and dismay
+initial feelings of horror and dismay
 over the fatal impact of Western
 contact gradually altered.
 After the publication of Darwin's
-Origin of Species, Europeans and
+<u>Origin of Species</u>, Europeans and
-Americans began to adopt the a t t i t u d es
+Americans began to adopt the attitudes
 and policies of Social Darwinism. The
-theory of "the survival ^f the
+theory of "the survival of the fittest" was applied to nations, and
 validated Western expansion and
 imperialism as the natural working out
 of an inevitable progression of
 conquest and colonization.
-Acquired immunity and i n t e r marriage
 among Native Hawaiians,
 however, was reversing this trend.
 Demographic trends now indicate that
-the population had reached i t s lowest
+the population had reached its lowest
 level in the final decade of the 19th
-i_entury, would s t a b i l i z e for about
+Century, would stabilize for about
 twenty years, and then begin a
 dramatic recovery.
 Today's Native Hawaiian population
 numbers an estimated 175,000
-i n d i v i d u a l s , more than half of whom
+individuals, more than half of whom
 are less than 19 years old.
-The health c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of this
-groupi however, are adversely and
+The health characteristics of this
-c o n s i s t e n t l y affected by mental health
+group, however, are adversely and
-d i s o r d e r s , s t r e s s - r e l a t e d diseases,
+consistently affected by mental health
-and an absence of c u l t u r a l l y - s e n s i t i ve
+disorders, stress-related diseases,
 health professionals.
 As developed in depth within the
-body of this study, the followinq
+body of this study, the following
 findings are offered:
-• the psychological despair and
+* the psychological despair and sense of being a conquered people in their own homeland is a factor in the health conditions of Native Hawaiians;
-sense of being a conquered
+* Native Hawaiians have the lowest life expectancy of any ethnic group in the State of Hawai'i: 67 years compared to a Statewide average of 74 years;
-people in their own homeland is
+* the leading causes of death for Native Hawaiians, in order of prevalence, are heart diseases, cancers, stroke, and accidents;
-a factor in the health conditions
+* Native Hawaiians have the highest infant death rate in the State of Hawai'i: 14 per 1,000 live births compared to a statewide average of 10 per thousand;
-of Native Hawaiians;
+* mental health assessments indicate that Native Hawaiians have a higher-than-expected incidence of personality disorders, mental retardation, and drug abuse than their proportion of the population; and
-• Native Hawaiians have the
+* suicide rates among Native Hawaiian males (statistics are unavailable for females) is the highest in the State of Hawai'i: 22.5 per 100,000 in the population, compared to a rate of 13.5 for males of all races in Hawai'i — rates in the 20-34 year age group of Native Hawaiians was even higher.
-lowest l i f e expectancy of any
+{{p|487}}

Template:Nhsc-v1-487 - Revision history

Reid Ginoza at 08:43, 24 July 2006

Jennifer Wada at 12:23, 11 March 2006