While Native Hawaiians have a shorter life span than other ethnic groups, they also have 14 fewer years of good health, according to public health researchers at the University of Hawaii.

A new study published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health calculated the number of healthy years among the state’s major racial populations — Native Hawaiians, whites, Filipinos, Japanese, and Chinese — based on a self-reported survey.

The research showed significant disparities among Hawaii’s indigenous people.

Native Hawaiians have fewer years of healthy life expectancy at 62.2, compared with Chinese who have the most years of good health at 75.9. Japanese have 74.8 healthy years, followed by Filipinos at 73.3, and whites at 72.1.

Nearly a decade ago, the overall healthy life expectancy for Americans was 68.5 years, with Hawaii residents having the longest life expectancy in the nation.

Although all ethnic groups are living longer and life expectancy has improved since 1950, there’s still a 10-year gap between Native Hawaiians and the group living the longest at any given time — with health status contingent upon financial stability, said Kathryn Braun, a University of Hawaii public health professor and senior author of the study.

“It’s probably because they’ve been disenfranchised in their own lands,” she said. “The land is no longer owned by Hawaiians,” who collectively have the highest prevalence of poverty and incarceration, and the lowest levels of education and household income.

They also have the highest rates of chronic health conditions, including coronary heart disease, obesity, diabetes and certain cancers and mortality.

“Until we can fix those things, I imagine we’ll continue to see a similar pattern,” she said.

A 2017 report by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs found the health of Native Hawaiian men is considerably worse than other men in the general population, with higher rates of obesity, asthma, deaths from cancer, mental health problems and the shortest life expectancy, among other disparities.

To close the gap, the state needs more programs to improve public education, health care and those in adequate housing, Braun said, adding that one solution would be increasing the minimum wage.

“It’s very hard to stay healthy if you’re houseless or living in your car. If we had adequate housing, education and health care for all we would see those gaps diminish significantly,” she said. “Nobody wants to live longer if they have to live longer in poor health.”

Life expectancy data is based on death records collected by the Health Department and population estimates from the U.S. Census. Researchers subtracted the number of years each ethnic group reported spending in poor health.