Muscatine, along with six other Iowa communities, has been named as a Blue Zones Project™ demonstration site in the state.
The communities will receive assistance from experts to develop and implement a Blueprint for making permanent environmental, social and policy changes that transition people into healthier behaviors that can lead to longer, happier lives.
Muscatine will begin this work immediately and progress will be measured using the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index®, the first-ever daily assessment
of U.S. residents' health and
well-being.
Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Marion, Oskaloosa, Sioux City and Muscatine join Cedar Falls, Mason City, Spencer and Waterloo that are working formally towards Blue Zones Community™ certification.
"We are thrilled to announce the
final six demonstration sites for the Blue Zones Project in Iowa," said Ben Leedle,
Healthways President and CEO. "The commitment to improved well-being exhibited
by all of the communities participating in the selection process has been
inspiring, and we look forward to working with the demonstration sites to
transform the lives of their residents through the application of Blue
Zones® principles."
Blue
Zones employs evidence-based ways to help people live longer, better lives by
taking a systematic, environmental approach to well-being, which focuses on
optimizing policy, social networks, and the built environments where we spend
our time.
The Blue Zones Project is based on Blue Zones principles developed by
Dan Buettner and is the centerpiece of the Healthiest State Initiative to make
Iowa the healthiest state by 2016 as measured by the Gallup-Healthways
Well-Being Index, the first-ever daily assessment of U.S. residents' health and
well-being.
Brought to Iowa through an innovative sponsorship by Wellmark Blue
Cross and Blue Shield, in collaboration with Healthways, the Blue Zones Project
initiative encourages all Iowa communities to change their built
environments to make the healthy choice, the easy choice.
