The Ku Ola Project: Enhancing Health Promotion Among Native Hawaiian Men.

NCT06964633 | Not Yet Recruiting DMC

• 2 other identifiers: CASSEL-2024-2U0610X
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 600
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The Ku Ola Project: The goal of this study is to determine if community-based discussion groups and small educational sessions enhance health awareness and behaviors among Native Hawaiian men. The study will examine if these interventions improve participants' health knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy while fostering local networks to support ongoing health promotion. Participants will engage in group discussions and educational sessions designed to build capacity and encourage healthy lifestyle choices.

Conditions

Health Promotion; Health

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (6)

• Surveys

  Participants complete pretest and post-test surveys gathering demographic data and module-specific health information and knowledge to evaluate program effectiveness.

  Pretest immediately before each module and post-test immediately after completion (within the same day).

• Commitment Contract

  After completing the post-test survey, participants draft a commitment contract proposing a specific health behavior change and leave their contact information so Kū Ola staff can follow up six months later to offer support and collect outcome data.

  From immediately after the post-test survey to the six-month follow-up call.

• Evaluation:

  After each session, participants complete short-answer and multiple-choice evaluation questions assessing how well the session fostered health-related communication and their perceived learning.

  Immediately following each session.

• Screening

  The proportion of eligible participants who complete their committed cancer screening test (e.g., FIT or PSA) as recorded by the PI and communicated to primary care physicians.

  Within six months of the commitment contract.

• Discussion

  One-sentence description: Thematic analysis of anonymized audio-recorded group discussions and facilitator notes from each module, capturing key insights and participant engagement.

  At the end of each module session (each session is 2 hours long)

• Tracking Groups and Facilitators

  Aggregate counts of men reached, number of modules delivered, and number of facilitators trained, tracked continuously in the Kū Ola database.

  From the date the first participant completes their initial module session through six months after the last participant completes their post-test survey (estimated up to 12 months).

Study Arms (1)

Educational & Behavioral Intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants take part in Kū Ola kūkākūkā (discussion group) modules-each a 2-hour session integrating a health topic (e.g., colorectal, lung, oro/nasopharyngeal cancer) with Hawaiian cultural content-complete pre- and post-test surveys, draft a commitment contract, and, where applicable, undergo cancer screening and receive follow-up support.

Behavioral: Kūkākūkā Discussion Sessions

Interventions

Kūkākūkā Discussion Sessions BEHAVIORAL

Participants attend a single 2-hour, flip-chart-guided module that integrates a focused health topic (e.g., colorectal cancer screening) with Hawaiian cultural teachings-beginning with an 'ōlelo no'eau (proverb) and guided by trained facilitators-to foster peer discussion, deliver key health information, and assess knowledge via pre- and post-test surveys.

Educational & Behavioral Intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Gender Eligibility Details: Participants must self-identify as male, with recruitment efforts emphasizing Native Hawaiian men.
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Hawaii: lead

Study Sites (1)

University of Hawai'i Cancer Center

Honolulu, Hawaii, 96813, United States

Location

Related Publications (6)

• Moy KL, Sallis JF, David KJ. Health indicators of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders in the United States. J Community Health. 2010 Feb;35(1):81-92. doi: 10.1007/s10900-009-9194-0.

  PMID: 19856087 RESULT

• Jain B, Bajaj SS, Patel TA, Vapiwala N, Lam MB, Mahal BA, Muralidhar V, Amen TB, Nguyen PL, Sanford NN, Dee EC. Colon Cancer Disparities in Stage at Presentation and Time to Surgery for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders: A Study with Disaggregated Ethnic Groups. Ann Surg Oncol. 2023 Sep;30(9):5495-5505. doi: 10.1245/s10434-023-13339-0. Epub 2023 Apr 5.

  PMID: 37017832 RESULT

• Hughes CK. Factors associated with health-seeking behaviors of Native Hawaiian men. Pac Health Dialog. 2004 Sep;11(2):176-82.

  PMID: 16281697 RESULT

• Harmon BE, Little MA, Woekel ED, Ettienne R, Long CR, Wilkens LR, Le Marchand L, Henderson BE, Kolonel LN, Maskarinec G. Ethnic differences and predictors of colonoscopy, prostate-specific antigen, and mammography screening participation in the multiethnic cohort. Cancer Epidemiol. 2014 Apr;38(2):162-7. doi: 10.1016/j.canep.2014.02.007. Epub 2014 Mar 22.

  PMID: 24667037 RESULT

• Cassel KD, Hughes C, Higuchi P, Lee P, Fagan P, Lono J, Ho R, Wong N, Brady SK, Ahuna W. No Ke Ola Pono o Na Kane: A Culturally Grounded Approach to Promote Health Improvement in Native Hawaiian Men. Am J Mens Health. 2020 Jan-Feb;14(1):1557988319893886. doi: 10.1177/1557988319893886.

  PMID: 32008466 RESULT

• Braun KL, Kim BJ, Ka'opua LS, Mokuau N, Browne CV. Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Elders: What Gerontologists Should Know. Gerontologist. 2015 Dec;55(6):912-9. doi: 10.1093/geront/gnu072. Epub 2014 Jul 25.

  PMID: 25063936 RESULT

Related Links

• Assessment and Priorities for Health \& Well-Being in Native Hawaiians \& other Pacific Peoples.

Study Officials

• Kevin Cassel, DrPH, MPH

  University of Hawaii Cancer Research Center

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Kevin Cassel, DrPH, MPH

CONTACT

808-564-5916; Kevin@cc.hawaii.edu

Yoko Takahashi, MD

CONTACT

ytakahashi@cc.hawaii.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 27, 2025
• First Posted: May 9, 2025
• Study Start: May 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): May 31, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): May 31, 2028
• Last Updated: March 31, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)