Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPIs) have experienced the highest COVID-19 mortality rates of any race or ethnicity in California. However, there has yet to be a statewide assessment of NHPI mental well-being and socioeconomic impacts.

Until now.

From January–May 2024, researchers at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research's NHPI Data Policy Lab, UC Irvine, and UC Riverside partnered with 10 NHPI community organizations and leaders representing CHamorro, Fijian, Marshallese, Native Hawaiian, Samoan, and Tongan communities to conduct the California Pacific Islander Well-Being and COVID-19 Economic Survey (CAPIWAVES). Using a unique community-driven sampling method, the CAPIWAVES project has resulted in the largest dataset to-date of NHPI mental well-being and socioeconomic status in California, with more than 850 participants.

On Tuesday, June 11, researchers unveiled the initial results of the CAPIWAVES project with the public.

This webinar was open to the general public, including community members, academic researchers, and policymakers who are interested in NHPI data and health equity.

CAPIWAVES was funded by the California Collaborative for Public Health Research (CPR3) to collect population-representative data for NHPI populations in the state and to report the data back to NHPI communities.