University of Hawaiʻi How many Native Hawaiians have a health condition called “metabolic syndrome,” a cluster of the most dangerous risk factors for having a heart attack or stroke? The answer is complicated because there are several different ways doctors can diagnose people with metabolic syndrome, and risk factors include high cholesterol, high blood pressure, raised glucose levels and a large waistline. New research from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa shows that Native Hawaiians are particularly affected by which definition doctors use. Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health researchers, led by recent bachelor’s degree graduate Chloe Asato, examined data on about 1,500 Caucasian, Filipino, Native Hawaiian and Japanese residents of Kohala on Hawaiʻi Island. The data were gathered as part of The Native Hawaiian/Multiethnic Health Research project and findings were published in Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders.