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Ethnic categorization often reflects an imprecise blending of concepts of race, nationality, and cultural heritage. Ethnicity is related to utilization of certain types of health services. To a limited extent, differences in utilization may be traced to differences in the types of health problems experienced. However, many of the differences reflect variations in lifestyle patterns and cultural preferences.
Ethnic Diversity: The population of
Hawai'i is ethnically diverse. No single ethnic group
comprises a majority. Three ethnic groups comprise over
60 percent of the population, based on 2005 Department
of Health estimates: Caucasians, Hawaiians/part-Hawaiians,
and Japanese.
Caucasians:
Caucasians are the largest ethnic group in the state. The Caucasian population has declined as a proportion of the total population since 1990. The Department of Health attributes some of this decline to the addition of "Mixed Ethnicity" as a reporting category in 1996.
Hawaiians/part-Hawaiians:
Hawaiians/part-Hawaiians are the second largest ethnic group in the state.
Mixed: The Department of Health began
reporting "Mixed Ethnicity" in its 1996 Health Surveillance
Program results. This category excludes part-Hawaiians
and includes all others identified as mixed ethnicity,
and comprised 19 percent of the population in 2005.
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Source: Hawai`i State Department of Health, Hawai`i Health Surveillance Program.; Hawai`i State Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, The State of Hawai`i Data Book, A Statistical Abstract.
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