Maoli Ola Study (2017)
In 2017, HI‘A was born with the launch of the Maoli Ola study—an exploration into the longitudinal social and health impacts of MA‘O Farms youth leadership training program. The working theory that emerged from this research is that MAʻO’s holistic intervention changes interns’ health and eating behaviors and improves their health.
The study collected data to capture the relationship between ‘āina (land/environment) and ola (health/life) within individuals living in Wai‘ānae and their social networks. Youth interns and their family members were invited to be co-researchers in the study, with the goal of helping understand how changes in health (such as blood sugar control, weight loss or gut microbiome composition) might be modified by focusing on restoring connection to ‘āina. Data collected included demographics, biometrics, health and dietary behaviors, and social connections.
The study, which included 400 individuals from around O‘ahu, showed that MA’O—an organization not specifically designed around health—has a profound impact on the health of their interns, their social networks, and the Wai‘ānae community at large. This ranges from a reduction in diabetes risk of 60% among interns to healthcare cost-savings of over $120,000 per year.