More than 200 senior citizens are taking part in a new statewide initiative to promote healthy aging.

But officials hope to reach hundreds more thanks to a new $300,000 grant from the National Council on Aging.

The plan focuses on promoting exercise and chronic disease management, both of which have been shown to help seniors. That's important in a state where the elderly population grew nearly four times faster than the national average between 1970 and 2000, according to the Executive Office on Aging and the University of Hawai'i Center on the Family.

The goal is to get at least 1,360 seniors statewide involved in the programs over the next three years and to reach an additional 2,000 by 2016, provided long-term financing is available.

Jeanine Yonashiro, coordinator of Healthy Aging Partnership—Empowering Elders, said the two programs, Chronic Disease Self-Management and Enhanced Fitness, are "both supported with a body of literature that has (been) shown to help seniors and keep people healthier."

Programs will be evaluated based on how easily they can be replicated in Hawai'i, participant outcomes and how they can be integrated into the state's aging network.

Hawai'i is one of just eight states to receive the funds, which come from a three-year private grant. An earlier, three-year grant worth $750,000 from the U.S. Administration on Aging was awarded in 2006.

The chronic disease program, a six-week workshop that was developed by Stanford University, covers a variety of health-related topics, said Michiyo Tomioka, a graduate research assistant from the School of Social Work at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa and a master trainer in both programs. It empowers seniors to take care of themselves through classes that teach how to manage their disease and allow them to meet others facing the same challenges, she said.

The fitness program, on the other hand, is based on activities such as aerobics and strength training. Participants meet two or three times weekly for one hour. Classes include warm-ups, aerobics, strengthening, stretching and balance exercises.

The goal of both programs is "to keep people as healthy as possible for as long as possible," Yonashiro said, saying participants will be able to stay healthy and independent longer, thus reducing healthcare costs and providing assistance to family caregivers.

Dianne Nickens, 68, took the chronic disease management program taught by trainers from Lanakila Meals on Wheels and Child and Family Service at Kalakaua Homes last year.

Nickens has dealt with three heart attacks and quadruple bypass surgery, depression and knee problems. She said the program taught her to take her medication correctly, exercise regularly and engage in volunteer work, activities encouraged by action plans that participants complete to attain a long-range goal.

"I noticed I had osteoporosis, but it is very minimal. I don't experience it now," said Florenda Gutierrez, 82, noting she does bending and stretching exercises as part of her action plan. She also walks every other day around her block.

Gutierrez, who completed the program at Kokua Kalihi Valley, said she had difficulty going up stairs after open-heart surgery but now knows her options and has encouragement to manage her health.

Naoko Ho, 78, who has participated in the Enhanced Fitness program on Kaua'i for about a year, said the class has allowed her to concentrate and improve her balance and keeps participants alert by having to respond to the instructor's directions.

"I personally look forward to Monday, Wednesday, Friday ... and I think the other ladies, too, look forward to it," Ho said.

Organizations involved in the programs include the Hawai'i Executive Office on Aging, the Center for Aging at UH-Manoa, the Elderly Affairs Division and county offices on aging.