title: The integral role of food in Native Hawaiian migrants' perceptions of health and well-being.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Obesity is prevalent among Native Hawaiians, but the relationship between food and perceptions of health and well-being is not well understood. The purpose was to explore the role of food in Native Hawaiians' perceptions of health and well-being.
  
  
  METHODS
  A qualitative descriptive design was used. Twenty-seven Native Hawaiian participants in Las Vegas took part in semistructured interviews.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants expressed that food can be dangerous to health. However, eating Hawaiian food seems to relieve homesickness, and they occasionally indulge in binge overeating.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hawaiian food plays an important role in participants' health and well-being. Participants' concurrent attraction to Hawaiian-style food and desire to avoid unhealthy food create a challenging struggle.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To support cultural connectedness, Native Hawaiians can be encouraged to expend consumed calories in physical activity as their ancestors did. Discussing nutrition from a family framework might be helpful to Native Hawaiians.
authors.affiliation: Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA. jane_lassetter@byu.edu
authors.forename: Jane H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lassetter
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D003469:Culture; D004032:Diet / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006240:Happiness; D006254:Hawaii / Q000208:ethnology; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D009752:Nutritional Status; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D010465:Perception; D036301:Qualitative Research; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D016746:Transcultural Nursing; D014171:Transients and Migrants / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult