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Newsletter 2009
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Lifestyle, Culture, and Health
Newsletter
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Volume 2
Issue 2
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January 2009
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A Perfect Blend |
Our Research 'Ohana Grows
Our research 'Ohana is growing in a perfect
blend of participants from every island, the mainland, foreign countries, and every walk
of life.
Thanks to your help, we have located 83% of your
original group from over 40 years ago. And thanks to your commitment, 70% of those located
have joined our current study.
Working together with you as a team has resulted
in 1325 people filling out surveys and 640 coming in for the clinic visit. Our long-range
goal is 810 visits by 2012, so we need your help to reach this objective. If you haven't
come in yet for a clinic visit, please arrange a time convenient for you. Our contact
information is on page 2 and our grant still provides payment for all activities ($150 -
$300 for the clinic visit and $10 - $50 for surveys.
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Research Team Meeting
Early in 2008, the Hawai'i/Oregon research team and consultants
met in Honolulu to plan the next five years of work funded by the National Institutes of
health. We will be including many aspects of lifestyle and health, especially emphasizing
factors leading to chronic diseases such as diabetes. Our website highlights the meeting
at: www.lifestyle.hawaii.edu.
In the next phase of the study, we will be looking at many factors
that help to create good health at mid-life and others that place us at risk for chronic
illness. Together we will learn many things that may benefit us and the next generation,
leading to healthier and longer life.
Hawai'i and Oregon Team Meeting in Honolulu
Planning for the Project Years 2008 - 2012 |
Why am I in this Study?
 |
Jack Digman, Ph.D., gathered information on
your group during the years 1959 to 1967. He was studying behavioral descriptions of
children. He obtained permission to gather data at the UH Lab School, O‘ahu and
Kaua‘i public schools, and in parochial schools on Kaua‘i. Whole classes in
participating schools were included. Teachers described their students on behavioral
characteristics at the end of the year. You will not remember participating because
permissions were handled at the administrative level in those days. Jack’s original
work bloomed into an important field of investigation, and after 40 years at UH, Jack
retired to Oregon where he continued his passion for research at the Oregon Research
Institute. At age 73, he was funded by the National Institutes of Health to follow-up his
earlier study. Jack died in 1998. We cherish his legacy as we strive to continue his
work. For this reason we deeply appreciate the contribution of each participant. You are our teachers regarding lifestyle and cultural effects on health
and we hope that together we will create results important for future generations. Your
group is unique in all the world (2338 participants) with your cultural diversity and the
excellent data gathered in childhood. If we miss this opportunity to work together as a
team, we will miss entirely the chance to achieve this goal. Together we are proud
of this locally generated and managed project that has been validated three times by
federal grants from the National Institutes of Health.
|
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| Who is in Our
Group?
Participants have been asking for more
information about the study group -- "who are we, where are we living, which cultural
groups are in the study?" We decided to devote this page to these interesting
questions.
Your group is comprised of 696 men and 629 women
and your present age range is 50 - 58 years. 48% are living on O'ahu, 25% on the neighbor
islands, 27% on the mainland, and .6% in foreign countries. These classmates live in
Canada, China, England, Japan, and Fiji.
Comparing childhood and present residence, 69%
continue to live on the island of their youth, while remaining folks have moved to new
locations. Your largest ethnic groups are Japanese, Hawaiian, and Caucasian, with smaller
groups of Chinese, Korean, Filipino, Okinawan, Pacific Islanders, and Others. Although 29%
identified very much with their ethnic group, 80% also considered themselves
"local", as the term is understood in Hawai'i.
Only 13% rate their health as fair/poor with 18%
reporting that health interfered with normal work in the past year. Over 90% are working
-- the largest fields are customer service, management, education, clerical, and
labor/trades. Although 73% report being physically active, 45% admit to some "couch
potato" behavior after age 40.
As participants and researchers, we are linked in
discovery, each contributing uniquely as flowers create a lei; together we are creating
knowledge related to a long and healthy lifespan.
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The Successful Linkage of Individuals
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Contact Us
Lifestyle, Culture, and
Health Project
On O'ahu (808) 432-4681
Elsewhere toll-free (800) 833-5006
Update your address and learn
more about the project at:
www.lifestyle.hawaii.edu
Oregon Research Institute
http://www.ori.org
Toll-free (800) 261-4997, ext. 2113 |
Newsletter 2008
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Lifestyle, Culture, and Health
Newsletter
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Volume 2
Issue 1
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January 2008
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" The Next Generation"
Photo: HVCB/Ron Dahlquist
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Project Receives
New Grant
We are pleased to announce that the National
Institutes of Health have awarded 5 years of new funding to the Lifestyle, Culture,
and Health Project, 2007 - 2012. In September we began our 10th year of greeting
members of your group!
So far, 1310 of you completed surveys and 560
attended clinic visits. We even were able to reach our goal of 550 by September 1st,
thanks to your help. Mahalo to everyone for the generous gift of your time, effort, and
support for this important work.
It's Not Too Late
It's not too late to arrange a clinic visit at a time convenient
for you! Please view our website and/or contact us by phone (see contact numbers below).
We also invite you to complete one survey a year. Our grant provides payment for all
activities ($150 - $300 for the clinic visit and $10 - $50 for the surveys). Please help
us to reach our goal of 55 clinic visits this year.
In the next phase of the study, we will be looking at many factors
that help to create good health at mid-life and others that place us at risk for chronic
illness. Together we will learn many things that may benefit us and the next generation,
leading to healthier and longer life.
Clinic Visit Team
Aleli, Cris, Melody
Darlene, Joan, Amy
|
Why am I in this Study?
|
Jack Digman, Ph.D., gathered information on
your group during the years 1959 to 1967. He was studying behavioral descriptions of
children. He obtained permission to gather data at the UH Lab School, O‘ahu and
Kaua‘i public schools, and in parochial schools on Kaua‘i. Whole classes in
participating schools were included. Teachers described their students on behavioral
characteristics at the end of the year. You will not remember participating because
permissions were handled at the administrative level in those days. Jack’s original
work bloomed into an important field of investigation, and after 40 years at UH, Jack
retired to Oregon where he continued his passion for research at the Oregon Research
Institute. At age 73, he was funded by the National Institutes of Health to follow-up his
earlier study. Jack died in 1998. We cherish his legacy as we strive to continue his
work. For this reason we deeply appreciate the contribution of each participant. You are
our teachers regarding lifestyle and cultural effects on health and we hope that together
we will create results important for future generations. Your group is unique in all the
world (2338 participants) with your cultural diversity and the excellent data gathered in
childhood. If we miss this opportunity to work together as a team, we will miss entirely
the chance to achieve this goal. Together we are proud of this locally generated and
managed project that has been validated three times by federal grants from the National
Institutes of Health. |
|
Research Results
From the surveys you've completed, we are
learning about lifespan pathways that lead to health or illness at different stages of
life. For example, in a recent article (cited below), we discovered that childhood
personality, education, and health habits all affect health at mid-life.
Childhood personality features contribute to our
educational choices and to our health habits such as smoking, physical activity, and
eating. Amount of education has additional influence on our health habits and our health
status, as you reported in surveys when you marked your health status as poor to
excellent.
Now we are looking at your clinic visits to see
if the measurements, lab results, and interview data help us understand more about the
pathways to health or illness. We will report these results to you.
The factors leading to good health and those
leading to diabetes, cancer, and other chronic diseases at mid-life are complex and
challenge current knowledge. New results will be important for everyone in the study
group, as well as for the next generation. Greater understanding can lead to prevention
studies aimed at a healthier lifespan in the future.
Citation:
Hampson, S.E., Goldberg, L. R., Vogt, T. M.,
& Dubanoski, J. P. (2007). Mechanisms by which childhood personality traits influence
adult health status: Educatinal attainment and healthy behaviors. Health Psychology,
26, 121-125.
Striding toward the Future, Floras lake, OR |
Contact Us
Lifestyle, Culture, and
Health Project
On O'ahu (808) 432-4781
Elsewhere toll-free (800) 833-5006
Update your address and learn
more about the project at:
www.lifestyle.hawaii.edu
Oregon Research Institute
http://www.ori.org
Toll-free (800) 261-4997, ext. 2113 |
Newsletter 2007
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Lifestyle, Culture, and Health
Newsletter
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Volume 1
Issue 5
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April 2007
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" Small Kid Times"
Your group is unique in all the world with your cultural
diversity and the excellent data gathered in childhood
Photo: HVCB/Sri Maiva Rusden
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Research Report
2007
Mahalo to everyone who has completed our clinic
visit, including measurements, lab tests, and interview. In addition to lab results,
participants receive $150 for the visit and $150 toward airfare if they do not live on
O'ahu.
With 535 visits completed, we are approaching our
goal of 550 by September 2007. If you are wondering why you were included in this study,
the description below may be helpful. Please help us to reach our goal. Mahalo!
Clinic Visit Team
Aleli, Melody, Cris
Darlene, Joan, Tom, Amy
|
Why am I in this Study?
|
Jack Digman, Ph.D., gathered information on
your group during the years 1959 to 1967. He was studying behavioral descriptions of
children. He obtained permission to gather data at the UH Lab School, O‘ahu and
Kaua‘i public schools, and in parochial schools on Kaua‘i. Whole classes in
participating schools were included. Teachers described their students on behavioral
characteristics at the end of the year. You will not remember participating because
permissions were handled at the administrative level in those days. Jack’s original
work bloomed into an important field of investigation, and after 40 years at UH, Jack
retired to Oregon where he continued his passion for research at the Oregon Research
Institute. At age 73, he was funded by the National Institutes of Health to follow-up his
earlier study. Jack died in 1998. We cherish his legacy as we strive to continue his
work. For this reason we deeply appreciate the contribution of each participant. Your
group is unique in all the world with your cultural diversity and the excellent data
gathered in childhood. You are our teachers regarding lifestyle and cultural effects on
health and we hope that together we will create results important for future generations.
If we miss this opportunity to work together as a team, we will miss entirely the chance
to achieve this goal. Together we are proud of this locally generated and managed
project that has been validated twice by 5-year federal grants from the National
Institutes of Health. |
|
In the News
The project was featured in the Honolulu
Star-Bulletin on March 4, 2007, a front page story by health writer Helen Altonn. She
highlighted our recently published findings that behavioral characteristics measured in
childhood may affect health at mid-life through the lifestyle choices we make and the
health behaviors we practice. Also interesting is that some characteristics, such as
conscientiousness, tend to remain the same from childhood to adulthood, while others, such as emotional stability,
show a pattern of change as people mature.
Greater understanding of the role of
early characteristics in health-related behaviors and decisions may lead to methods of
directing children toward healthier pathways in life. The goal would be a better quality
of life over a longer lifespan. The Star-Bulletin article is posted for review on the
newspaper website at: http://starbulletin.com/2007/03/04/news/story01.html.
Fourth Survey Brewing
Participants receive surveys about once a year
and 74%-84% respond with information vital to the study. People unable to attend the
clinic visit can still participate via survey and receive newsletters and other project
mailings. We are currently developing our fourth survey, this one dealing with health
behaviors and social activities.
Proposal News
In February 2007, reviewers from the National Institutes
of Health (NIH) in Washington, DC informed us that we earned a high priority score on our
proposal submitted for project years September 2007 -2012. While this does not guarantee
funding, we are pleased that our work was validated by a high score. We are waiting to
hear about the final budget decisions by NIH. We hope to continue the project and we hope
that you will journey with us in the future years of this exciting ongoing study.
Oregon's Generations in
Nature |
Contact Us
Lifestyle, Culture, and
Health Project
On O'ahu (808) 432-4753
Elsewhere toll-free (800) 833-5006
Oregon Research Institute
http://www.ori.org
Toll-free (800) 261-4997, ext. 2113 |
Newsletter 2006
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Lifestyle, Culture, and Health
Newsletter
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Volume 1
Issue 4
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May 2006
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Nu'uanu Pali Lookout, O'ahu
You are our teachers regarding lifestyle and culutral
effects on health and we hope that together we will create results important for future
generations.
Photo: C. Painter |
Welcome to our research
'Ohana. We are sending this newsletter to everyone we have located from your original
study group. Please read the description below to disvover or review how you came to be a
participant in this landmark research. Of those located (87% of original group), 64% hve
joined us in seeking links between childhood behavioral descriptions, cultural identity,
and health at mid-life. We continue to welcome newly located and past participants to the
ongoing study. Since we began our clinic visits at Dole Cannery in January 2004, over 400
people have attended. Our goal is 550 participants by September 2006. We have funds to pay
$150 for the clinic visit and an additional $150 toward airfare if you do not live on
O'ahu. Please help us to reach our goal. Mahalo! |
Research Report 2006
Survey 3: The Missing Years
In this survey, 48% of you reported that
your health was very good to excellent. Another 39% reported good health, while 13% rated
their health fair to poor. However, health interfered in the daily work routine for only
7% of people responding to the survey, with 12% reporting moderate interference, and 81%
slight to no work interference. Health practices seem to be changing. 57% of your group
smoked at some time in their lives; however, 70% now live in homes where no one smokes.
Many are altering health practices, including eating more fruit, fiber, and vegetables
(24%), cutting down on fat (25%), eating less food overall (30%), getting more exercise
(29%), and reducing stress (22%). About 8% of your group would like to improve health
practices but knows they will not. These results and those gathered during the clinic
visit will be further analyzed in relation to the behavior descriptions reported in
childhood.
Why am I in this Study?
|
Jack Digman, Ph.D., gathered information on
your group during the years 1959 to 1967. He was studying behavioral descriptions of
children. He obtained permission to gather data at the UH Lab School, O‘ahu and
Kaua‘i public schools, and in parochial schools on Kaua‘i. Whole classes in
participating schools were included. Teachers rated their students on behavioral
characteristics at the end of the year. You will not remember participating because
permissions were handled at the administrative level in those days. Jack’s original
work bloomed into an important research area with implications for education, industry,
and health. After 40 years at UH, Jack retired to Oregon where he continued his passion
for research at the Oregon Research Institute. At age 73, he was funded by the National
Institutes of Health to follow-up his earlier study. Jack died in 1998. We cherish
his legacy as we strive to continue his work. For this reason we deeply appreciate the
contribution of each participant. Your group is unique in all the world with your cultural
diversity and the excellent data gathered in childhood. You are our teachers regarding
lifestyle and cultural effects on health and we hope that together we will create results
important for future generations. If we miss this opportunity to work together as a team,
we will miss entirely the chance to achieve this goal. Together we are proud of this
locally generated and managed project that has been validated twice by 5-year grants from
the National Institutes of Health. |
|
Oregon Team
Maureen, Sarah, Lew, Gerard, Chris, Christina |
New Proposal
On March 1, 2006, our research team submitted a proposal
to the National Institutes of Health in Washington, DC. We are asking for funding to
continue the project during the years 2007 - 2012. Our team and consultants held a
planning meeting to develop the proposal in September 2005 at Oregon Research Institute in
Eugene, Oregon. The present funding cycle expires in the fall of 2007.
Contact Us
Lifestyle, Culture, and Health
Project
On O'ahu (808) 432-4753
Elsewhere toll-free (800) 833-5006
Oregon Research Institute
http://www.ori.org
Toll-free (800) 261-4997, ext. 2113
Newsletter 2005
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Lifestyle, Culture, and Health
Newsletter
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Volume 1
Issue 3
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May 2005
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Voyaging Canoe Hokulea
Together we are voyaging to the past, in the present, and
into the future. Please join our 'Ohana for this exciting research journey.
Photo HVCB |
Thanks to your
generous response to our initiatives, we have located 84% of your original group and 67%
of those located have joined our research ‘Ohana. We are continuing to locate new
people and we hope to include everyone invited to join us. Because your original group
from "small kid times" numbered only 2383, each person is very important to the
study, its results, and the future research it will generate. Over 80% of participants
continue to respond to the surveys that we send about once a year. Since we began our clinic visits at Dole Cannery in January 2004, 300
people have attended. So far we have reached only 50% of our goal of 600 clinic visits, so
please consider joining us when we contact you or when you are planning to visit
O‘ahu. Mahalo! |
Research Report 2005
Research Results
The original behavior ratings by your
teachers and your self-ratings gathered recently at mid-life result in five factors of
behavioral description. These factors have been found in many other studies completed
since Jack Digman’s early work. It's important to understand that Jack’s work
was so well done that it holds up today in light of modern research methods. In future
analyses we will be linking these characteristics to health beliefs, behaviors, and
outcomes. We will analyze and publish only group, never individual findings. We currently
have a paper with our first results accepted for publication. When it is published we will
be able to share the findings in a future newsletter.
Why am I in this Study?
|
Jack Digman, Ph.D., our colleague, mentor, and
friend, gathered information on your group during the years 1959 to 1967. He was studying
behavioral descriptions of children. He obtained permission to gather data at the UH Lab
School, O‘ahu and Kaua‘i public schools, and in parochial schools on
Kaua‘i. Whole classes in participating schools were included. Teachers rated their
students on behavioral characteristics at the end of the year. You will not remember
participating because permissions were handled at the administrative level in those days.
Jack’s original work bloomed into an important research area with implications for
education, industry, and health. After 40 years at UH, Jack retired to Oregon where he
continued his passion for research at the Oregon Research Institute. At age 73, he was
funded by the National Institutes of Health to follow-up his earlier study. Your group is
unique in all the world with your cultural diversity and the excellent data gathered in
childhood. Jack died in 1998. We cherish his legacy as we strive to continue his work. For
this reason we deeply appreciate the contribution of each participant. We hope that
everyone will accompany us on this fascinating research journey. You are our teachers
regarding lifestyle and cultural effects on health and we hope that together we will
create results important for future generations. If we miss this opportunity to work
together as a team, we will miss entirely the chance to achieve this goal. Together we are
proud of this locally generated and managed project that has been validated twice by
5-year grants from the National Institutes of Health. |
|
Clinic Visit Preliminary Results
Preliminary data from the clinic visit
indicate that 129 women and 121 men have participated to date. Places of residence include
Oahu 84%, Neighbor Islands 7%, mainland 9% , and foreign countries .8%. Men have
significantly higher levels than women in fasting blood sugar, triglycerides, grip
strength, diastolic blood pressure (when the heart is at rest), and Body Mass Index
(height relative to weight). Women have significantly higher levels than men in HDLs
("good" cholesterol) and greater flexibility. Women have a significantly lower
risk of heart disease than men measured by the Cholesterol/HDL Ratio (ratio of Total
Cholesterol to"good"cholesterol), although both are below the average risk of
heart disease rates for men and women. These data provide a baseline of lab results for
current and future analyses of factors related to lifestyle, culture, and health. All
individual results have been sent to participants and participants’ physicians with
consent. Our interest is not only in research. Amy Stone-Murai, our nurse practitioner,
has arranged appropriate follow-up care for participants with significantly out-of-range
results. She also has provided helpful consultation to others with health concerns or
questions.
Hawai'i Team
Carmen, Darlene, Cris, Joan, Melody, Tom, Amy |
Cris and Carmen in the interview room |
New Proposal
In September 2005, our research team and our consultants
will gather at Oregon Research Institute in Eugene, Oregon to begin planning our next
proposal for continued funding from the National Institutes of Health in Washington, DC.
Our present funding cycle expires in the fall of 2007.
Contact Us
Oregon Research Institute
http://www.ori.org
Toll-free (800) 261-4997, ext. 2113
Lifestyle, Culture, and Health
Project
http://www.lifestyle.hawaii.edu
On O'ahu (808) 432-4753
Elsewhere toll-free (800) 833-5006
Newsletter 2003
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Lifestyle, Culture, and Health
Newsletter
|
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Volume 1
Issue 2
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May 2003
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Research Report 2003
Molokai at Sunset
|
Thanks to your support for this pioneering study, 1057 people
joined our research team and completed the first questionnaire. As a group you are unique
in the scientific community by virtue of your cultural diversity and the excellent data
gathered in the 1960s by Professor Jack Digman of the University of Hawai'i. We believe
that your unique qualities will contribute significantly to the understanding of
health-related beliefs and behaviors over the lifespan and we congratulate you as members
of this important research. Knowledge gained will result in culturally sensitive programs
to encourage children and adults toward healthier lifestyles. Better health practices
could yield longer life with less chronic disease for families across the nation.
Photo HVCB/Ron Dahlquist |
Who are You?
You represent Japanese (37%), Hawaiian (21%), European
(18%), and Pacific Islander/Other Asian (24%) cultural groups. Males (54%) and females
(47%) joined in about equal numbers. Most participants live in Hawai'i (77%), while 22%
moved to the mainland and 1% to foreign countries. Over three-fourths of those living in
Hawai'i remain on the island of their youth.
Project receives New Funding
Your enthusiastic response and the ethnic diversity of
your group were key reasons why we have received further funding from the National
Institutes on Health (NIA) for our study. In Fall 2002, we were awarded five more years of
funding by NIH, and we have started on phase two of our project. This new grant will allow
further study of many variables related to health, including careful study of ethnic
factors.
If you would like more information about our project or
about the Oregon Research Institute, please check our respective web sites listed below.
If your address changes, please remember to let us know -- our web site provides an easy
way for you to provide us this information. Questions? Call (808) 432-4753 or toll-free at
(800)261-4997, ext. 2113.
Oregon Research Institute: http://www.ori.org
Lifestyle, Culture and Health Project: http://www.lifestyle.hawaii.edu
Where are we going?
|
Hawai'i and Oregon Staff at February 2003
Meeting in Honolulu
(left to right) Tom Vogt, Joan Dubanoski, Cris Yamabe, Lew
Goldberg |
For this next phase of our project, the Hawaii team is
based at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Honolulu. The Kaiser Center
is ideal because of its focus on health and we are enjoying our new home. We are still
working with our colleagues from the Oregon Research Institute and the University of
Hawai'i at Manoa. The Lifestyle, Culture, and Health Project will continue to learn about
the members of your unique group of people that teachers rated back in the 1960s. We will
be sending you one or two surveys each year that will ask about the kinds of things you
like to do, your health history, your cultural background, and what has happened to you
over your life so far. Depending on the length of the survey, we will pay you between $10
and $50 for your contribution. We would like to learn more about you to add to the teacher
ratings made long ago. For example we know that culture is very important in Hawai'i and
can explain a lot about a person, so we need to understand more about your cultural
background.
New Directions
We will also invite you to come to a session at the
Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research Hawai'i in Honolulu. You will be
invited to one session over the next five years. You will be paid $100. You will have a
short medical exam and be asked some questions in a brief interview. The exam is free of
charge and we will inform you of your results. If you prefer not to help with this
part of the study, we still deeply appreciate your willingness to complete the surveys
sent by mail. The medical exam and the findings from the surveys will give us vital
information about health over the lifespan. Our findings will be unique, and they will
help in the search to find ways to improve people's health and well-being now and in the
future.
Newsletter 2000
 |
Lifestyle, Culture, and Health
Newsletter
|
 |
Volume 1
Issue 1
|
|
May 2000
|
Research Ohana Growing
Over 990 people have agreed to participate in our
ground-breaking study. We welcome each of you and thank you for your unique and important
contribution to this exciting research. Through access to public records, the Internet,
and the coconut wireless, we were able to locate an amazing 73% of participants from the
original studies conducted in the 1960s. And 61% of those located are participating in the
study, with new people joining each day. These numbers have far surpassed our original
goals! We greatly appreciate the outstanding kokua received from everyone associated with
the project, who significantly share in its success.
Most of our present participants live in Hawai'i
(79%); however, those who moved to the mainland (20%) and foreign countries (1%)
have also joined the study. All islands in Hawai'i are represented, as are all major
mainland areas, some U.S. Military Posts, and Guam, England, and Japan.
Approximately half of your group are women (46%) and half
are men (54%). Mirroring our electronic age, 42% of you provided us with email addresses.
Time for Scanning
As we receive your surveys and consent forms, we are
preparing the surveys for scanning by the Oregon Research Institute. The final file of
scanned questionnaires will form the basis for statistical analysis and for comparison
with the earlier studies conducted when you were in elementary school. The analysis and
write-up of the results is an extensive process that will take place over the next year.
Preliminary results will be prepared initially and formal research papers will be
submitted to journals when the analyses are complete.
If your would like more information about the Oregon
Research Institute or about our project, please check our respective web sites listed
below. If your address changes, please remember to let us know -- our project update provides an easy way for you to provide us this information.
Questions? Call (808) 956-8179.
Oregon Research Institute: http://www.ori.org
Lifestyle, Culture, and Health Project: http://www.lifestyle.hawaii.edu (you are currently visiting this site)
Baby Boomers' Health Alert
Creativity may be an important key to good health and
successful aging in the second half of life. The notion that our talents crest and ebb in
our middle years is a faulty assumption according to Gene D. Cohen, director of the Center
on Aging, Health, & Humanities at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He
has just written a book titled The Creative Age: Awakening Human Potential in the
Second Half of Life (Avon Books, 2000).
Dr. Cohen states "That creativity is only for the
gifted few, and that even their talents dim with age, is a myth. The truth is that
creativity is not just for geniuses. The implications for society, and for each of us
individually, are stunning -- not only in terms of continued productivity and invention
but because creativity can contribute to physical health as we age. Creative expression
fosters positive feelings that prompt a positive immune function. It enables us to view
life as an opportunity for exploration, discovery, and an expanding sense of self ... and
it knows no age."
Dr. Cohen's work is featured at http://www.aarp.org and check your
PBS listings this Spring for a program based on his book (same title).
Aloha from the Hawai'i team
Eddie, Winter, Tony, Jennifer, Joan
|
Greetings from Oregon during
a visit with Hawai'i project staff
Joan, Erika, Lew, Maureen |
|
