Can We Transform WA Into a Blue Zone?

By Greg Cook, WHF Associate

Can you imagine a community where hardly anyone suffers from chronic diseases such as diabetes? A place where heart disease is a thing of the past and the smell of tobacco smoke is unknown? A location where you and your neighbors expect to live well past the average life expectancy? Such places exist in the real world, and scientists studying health and longevity have a name for them: “Blue Zones.”

Blue Zones (the title of a book) have been identified in several locations around the world. Life in a Blue Zone includes healthy eating, plenty of daily movement, and a positive outlook on life. Now there are efforts underway to replicate Blue Zones in other places. One such pilot project is underway in Minnesota, as reported on in an August, 2010 edition of U.S. News & World Report. So far, the results are promising, with increased rates of walking, a shift to better eating habits, and numerous stories of weight loss.

Could communities across Washington state become Blue Zones? There are some encouraging developments. Recent data show that our state has one of the lowest smoking rates in the nation. There is a growing consensus that school children require more exercise (including to and from schools as a part of that exercise) and better nutrition. This awareness has been bolstered by legislation on farm-to-school food purchasing and safe routes to schools infrastructure projects.

Blue Zone promoters are looking at the workplace as another front on the campaign to invest in good health and erode levels of chronic disease. Provisions in the new federal health care legislation will assist small business owners set up employee wellness programs. Such programs, when properly implemented, prove to be a win-win for employers and workers: absenteeism rates decline and employees enjoy a healthier life both at work and at home in the community.

The non-profit Washington Health Foundation through its Healthiest State Campaign in collaboration with the Washington State Department of Health is laying the groundwork for a state-wide public/private partnership to put some of these ideas into practice. The Healthiest Communities Partnership is assembling members from the business, non-profit, medical, and government sectors to begin strategizing about how to make our state a healthier state, and to make good everyday decisions about smoking, nutrition, and physical activity the easy choices.

To find out more about the Healthiest Communities Partnership click here.