PILI 01ina Project A Community-Based Program Using Home Gardens to Improve Diet and Health in Native Hawaiian Adults with Cardiometabolic Conditions

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are studying how to improve the health and diet of Native Hawaiian adults who have overweight or obesity and at least one diet-related cardiometabolic condition such as type 2 diabetes, pre-diabetes, hypertension, or dyslipidemia. The project aims to test an intervention called PILI 0ina, which focuses on promoting traditional Native Hawaiian diets and improving social support while reducing risks for new diet-related illnesses. This group-randomized controlled trial will compare PILI 0ina to a standard Diabetes Prevention Program Lifestyle Intervention to see which better supports health at both individual and household levels. Participants will first complete a 3-month educational program based on the adapted Diabetes Prevention Program. After this, households will be randomly assigned to either the PILI 0ina intervention or a control group. Those in the PILI 0ina group will receive a 6-month program centered on using a raised-bed home garden to grow vegetables, hands-on cooking lessons with local experts, and family bonding activities. Households will be provided with all gardening supplies and seeds for fast-growing vegetables. The control group will receive monthly health education materials and links to community resources via mail or electronic messaging. All lessons are delivered by trained community health workers. Participants will attend assessments at the start, 3, 9, and 12 months to collect data on diet quality, weight, height, blood pressure, hemoglobin A1c, and lipid levels. Other adult household members can also join data collection to evaluate household effects. Researchers will monitor additional factors like food insecurity, nutrition environment, social support, medication use, physical activity, and diet self-confidence. The study runs until 2029, with ongoing data collection to understand how well the interventions work and their sustainability.

PILI 'Āina Household