Source / File
A new study by the University of Hawaii (UH) has revealed the enormous popularity of outrigger canoe paddling among Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders.
42% of Native Hawaiians have joined in paddling activities, while 31% of Pacific Islanders - the next ethnic group with the greatest participation - have paddled in their lifetime, UH said Wednesday (local time).
"These findings are important because they suggest that promoting paddling and other activities that are physically demanding as well as culturally relevant, could be a meaningful way to improve physical activity rates in Hawaii," it said.
The UH researchers also observed that paddling appealed to a wide range of ages, income groups and geographic locations.
Although men were more likely to have participated in paddling than women, the study found that there were high levels of engagement in the activity for both genders.
According to the results, experience in paddling was seen across race and ethnicity, gender, age, education and income level, and health status.
"These findings indicate that paddling is widely enjoyed, making it a promising area for widespread community health promotion," UH said.
Dr Landon Opunui, a Native Hawaiian physician and elite paddler, who recently completed an almost 500km journey around the Pacific with an international group of paddlers, acknowledged the health benefits of paddling but also its cultural and spiritual significance for indigenous communities.
“Everyone has different reasons for paddling, for some it is the friendships created, others enjoy being a part of the paddling community, for some it may be health benefits, others it may be the competition, for me, it connects me to my ancestors,” Dr Opunui said in response to the study results.
The study also investigated the popularity of hula, finding that almost half of Native Hawaiians and 42% of Pacific Islanders have danced hula.
"Impressively, two-thirds of Hawaiian women dance hula sometimes or frequently," UH said.
"In other studies by UH researchers it was found that the graceful dance of hula is also physically rigorous with energy expenditure levels that can be comparable to a basketball game or tennis match."
Dr Tetine Sentell who led the UH study emphasised the vital importance of "culturally-relevant" activities.
“Because of our diverse population, it is vital that we promote culturally-relevant activities like outrigger canoe paddling in public health programming, research, and surveillance,” she said.
The survey included about 13,500 respondents. Across all racial/ethnic groups, 20% had engaged in paddling sometime in their life.
