NATIVE HAWAIIAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER ELDERS

NATIVE HAWAIIAN AND
PACIFIC ISLANDER ELDERS
There were 43,802 Native Hawaiian and Pacific
Islander elders in the United States according to the
2000 Census. Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders
are a relatively young population, with only 5% of the
population being age 65 and older. Pacific Islanders
consist of 45.9% Native Hawaiian, 15.2% Samoan,
10.6% Guamanians, 4.2% Tongans, 1.6% Fujians, and
20% other Pacific Islanders. Life expectancies for
Hawaiian, Samoan, and Guamanian males are 71.5,
71.0, and 72.4 years, respectively, as compared with
73.2 for European Americans. Life expectancies at
birth for Hawaiian, Samoan, and Guamanian females
are 77.2, 74.9, and 76.1 years, respectively, as com-
pared with 79.6 for European Americans. Data from
Hawaii indicate that Native Hawaiian, Samoan, and
Chamorro groups had significantly higher mortality
rates for most causes of death. These higher rates may
be because of advanced disease diagnosis; high rates of
hypertension, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes; and
poorer health behaviors, such as higher smoking rates
and obesity, among Pacific Islanders.
The prevalence of psychiatric mental health status of
Pacific Islanders is currently unknown; however, key
indicators suggest poorer mental health status than for
other ethnic groups in Hawaii. These few studies indi-
cate higher rates of antisocial behavior, assaults, sui-
cides, depression, anxiety, conduct disorder, and
substance abuse, associated with lower educational
attainment and poorer health behaviors, such as number
of cigarettes smoked