Puni Ke Ola Pilot Project

Introduction: Through on-going community dialog and action since 2006, our participatory action research team selected substance use among indigenous Hawaiian youth as the central health disparity to eliminate, with the first step being research. Puni Ke Ola translates to “life flourishes”, and our aim described here was to initiate exploratory research using Hawaiian epistemology to guide our inquiry of youth drug prevention. The prevailing paradigm in prevention is to use evidence-based practices (EBPs), and with limited exceptions, EBPs have been culturally grounded in dominant US populations. While the model has strengths, this paradigm can marginalize the experiences and expertise of non-majority populations. The Puni Ke Ola Project was designed to address these issues. 

Methods: This pilot study was designed to identify key concepts needed to form the foundation of a Native Hawaiian model of youth substance use prevention by exploring these research questions with Hawaiian youth: 1) What are the Hawaiian cultural values, beliefs, and practices that may guide program design, implementation, and evaluation of youth substance use prevention; and 2) How do indigenous ways of knowing, or Hawaiian epistemology, guide the inquiry process. Ten multi-ethnic Hawaiian youth aged 12 to 18 years old are participating in a 7-month Photovoice project in their rural community. The majority of community residents are of Hawaiian ancestry, with the youth population of each moku (region) ranging from 72% to 92% of students identifying as Hawaiian. 

Results: Preliminary analyses using Nvivo software have indicated that youth 1) are participating in the project because they want their voices heard and to make a difference in their community; 2) believe that Hawaiian values, practices, beliefs, protocols, and disciplines are necessary in all activities that occur in their community; and 3) must lead by example by joining other communities leaders to end substance abuse. More specifically, their understanding of wellness and prevention are derived from their experiences with the natural environment, spirituality, and family from the past, to the present, and carried to future generations, all of which is tied to a familiarity and/or fluency in their language. These and other themes will be presented.

Conclusion: Substance use/abuse represents significant and persistent health disparities among Hawaiians. Despite the persistent problem, nationally recognized EBPs are lacking among Hawaiians, and those that exist have not positioned Hawaiian epistemology as a central unifying feature. Puni Ke Ola has repositioned Hawaiian epistemology as a core component of program development, implementation, and evaluation of prevention targeting Hawaiian youth and communities.