The Cancer Research Center of Hawai'i at the University of Hawaii at Manoa is inviting mothers with babies under 1 year old to join a new program geared toward increasing physical activity.

Encouraging Mothers to be Active aims to fight cancer before it starts, as a sedentary lifestyle has been linked to chronic illness such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

Participants in Na Mikimiki will be lent accelerometers to test their levels of activity over an 18-month period, provided with resources to help them get active, and given $60 in gift certificates as a thank you for being part of the program. With statistics gathered from the program, the moms will also be contributing to a national knowledge base on what types of information can help people increase their activity levels.

"Many women find it difficult to do regular exercise after the birth of a child. We would like to help change that," said Cheryl Albright, who heads this study. "May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month — an ideal time to get moms to become healthier."

Participants must be O'ahu residents from 18 to 45 years of age, with infants from 2 to 12 months old. They should be healthy enough to walk briskly, but are not exercising regularly. The mothers will be asked to complete periodic surveys throughout the 18-month program. CRCH is looking for a total of 268 participants who can join the program as soon as their schedule permits.

To join Na Mikimiki and for more information, contact 441-8199 or e-mail namikimiki@crch.hawaii.edu.

Na Mikimiki is a collaboration by the Prevention and Control Program of the CRCH, and Kaiser Permanente, with funding from the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute.

The Cancer Research Center of Hawai'i is one of only 63 National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers throughout the United States. As a unit of the University of Hawai'i at Manoa, it conducts cancer research, educational activities, and community outreach, including the operation of the Hawai'i Tumor Registry, the Clinical Trials Unit and the Cancer Information Service of Hawai'i.

The Center's research takes advantage of Hawai'i's ethnic and cultural diversity, geographic location, and unique environment to discover possible causes and cures for cancer. The Center is located at 1236 Lauhala Street in Honolulu. For general information on the Cancer Research Center of Hawai'i, visit its Web site at www.crch.org.