For years, Dr. Craig Kadooka has been trying to persuade his patients to get more exercise.

"They would always ask me, ‘What kind of exercise machine should I buy?’ I would say, ‘Just walk!"’ he said.

"Walking has the lowest dropout rate of any exercise. Other things, like running, typically within a couple months they drop out. What happens when you buy a treadmill? It starts out in the center of the room, and then after a while it starts getting pushed to the side of the room, and pretty soon you’re hanging your clothes from it."

People who walk regularly can experience significant health benefits, and it’s easy, requiring only a good pair of shoes and some consistency on the part of the walker, he said.

So last summer, Kadooka and other health professionals in the Hilo area decided to put their feet on the ground and their "money where our mouths are," he said.

In May, they launched Walk With a Doc — a regular Sunday meeting at Liliuo­kalani Park and Gardens in Hilo, at the corner of Lihiwai Street and Banyan Drive, kitty-corner from Suisan Fish Market.

Beginning at 8 a.m., people looking to take a walk with a dose of medical advice and encouragement thrown in can meet up and take a stroll with Kadooka and other area health professionals, including physicians from the Hawaii Island Family Medicine Residency program and medical students from the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine.

The meetings typically begin with a five-minute talk about various medical subjects, followed by a brief stretch/warmup.

On a recent Sunday, third-year medical student Tara Reed was on hand to discuss the difference between vitamins and supplements.

"Generally, it’s healthier to get your vitamins from healthy foods and not pills," she told the 60 to 70 walkers of various ages who showed up.

Reed, who is originally from Hawaii island, said she’s been doing a rotation in Hilo since January and got involved in the program when she heard about it.

"I just think it’s really a good way to get patients out walking," she said.

"It helps when there’s a community effort. And when I see the patients who I see in the office, it inspires me to keep coming out here."

Eileen Usagawa has been coming to walk with the group since the program began in May and said the social aspect of the walks keeps her coming back for more.

"I’m coming for health reasons, but my friends are here, and that makes it easier, getting a good social experience," she said.

Usagawa said the walks have been such a hit with her and her friends that they’ve even begun meeting during the week to continue walking.

"We walk about 45 minutes to an hour," she said.

About 250 people have signed up with Walk With a Doc since the program began, and usually about 50 people show up each Sunday, Kadooka said.

The group has a Facebook page, Walk With a Doc Hawaii Island, and a website, wwadbigisland.org. But, said Hilo Medical Center employee Valerie Victorine, who helps organize and photograph the walks, information about the group generally gets around via East Hawaii’s coconut wireless.

"They hear about us by word of mouth, mostly," she said.

Wayne Nishijima and his wife signed in for the first time after hearing about Walk With a Doc from friends.

"For me, I don’t normally walk," he said. "I want to get into a routine for the health benefits."