MALAMA: Growing Your Own Food for Better Heart Health
MALAMA: Backyard Aquaponics to Promote Healthy Eating and Reduce Cardiometabolic Risk
This project helps Native Hawaiian families learn to grow their own food using backyard aquaponics to enjoy healthier meals and lower their risk for heart disease and diabetes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Hawaii at Manoa NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Honolulu, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11115775 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Native Hawaiians experience higher rates of heart disease and diabetes, partly due to challenges in accessing healthy food. This project introduces MALAMA, a program that teaches families how to build and maintain backyard aquaponics systems. The goal is to empower families to increase their consumption of fresh, healthy foods, reduce worries about food availability, and ultimately improve their overall heart and metabolic health. Families in three Hawaiian communities will take part, with some receiving the aquaponics training immediately and others joining later as a comparison group.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are Native Hawaiian families living in specific Hawaiian Homestead communities who are interested in learning aquaponics to improve their health.
Not a fit: Patients not living in the specified Native Hawaiian communities or those not interested in a family-centered aquaponics program may not directly benefit from this particular opportunity.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this program could help Native Hawaiian families improve their diet, reduce food insecurity, and significantly lower their risk for serious heart and metabolic conditions.
How similar studies have performed: This intervention is being formally tested for its effectiveness in these communities, building on general knowledge that healthy eating can improve cardiometabolic health.
Where this research is happening
Honolulu, United States
- University of Hawaii at Manoa — Honolulu, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Chung-Do, Jane — University of Hawaii at Manoa
- Study coordinator: Chung-Do, Jane
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.