Various sources have consistently rated Hawaii among the states with the lowest death rates from COVID-19. There are surely multiple reasons for that, but one factor may be a relative low obesity rate — 24.5%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Compare that with the national adult obesity rate of 42%.

Research continues to show obesity linked with severe outcomes from COVID-19. Another reason, if anyone needs one, to get in better shape and improve one’s overall health.

Return of Japanese, Filipino programs

Fans of KIKU-TV are rejoicing, as popular multicultural programs such as “Soko ga Japan,” “Kuru Kuru Japan” and “Mystery Theatre” have returned.

Thanks to a new deal by KITV4 owner Byron Allen, those Japanese shows as well as Filipino dramas are back. They had ended in July 2021 when KIKU-TV’s former owner changed the station to a shopping channel, an unpopular move among fans of diversity programming.

In addition to relaunching KIKU’s Japanese and Filipino shows, expect more KITV4 News on that channel in coming moths. For programming schedule, see www.kitv.com/livestream/tv-listings.