Blue Zones to conduct a countywide assessment
and build a plan to help all residents live better, longer
SEVIER COUNTY, Tenn.,
Jan. 9,
2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Sevier County has engaged
Blue Zones, the global leader in longevity research and community
well-being transformation, to launch Blue Zones Ignite in the
county.
Blue Zones uses an evidence-based, environmental approach to
making healthy choices easier in the places and spaces where people
spend the most time. Blue Zones will work with the County and
community leaders to conduct a local assessment to determine how to
make it a healthier place to live, work, and thrive. Together with
the community, the Blue Zones team will assess readiness and build
a plan for change.
"We are excited to bring the Blue Zones Ignite to Sevier County as part of our commitment to
enhancing the health and well-being of our residents. This
initiative allows us to embrace the values that have always been
important to our community—strong connections with family and
friends, spending time outdoors, and taking pride in our local arts
and culture. By aligning these traditions with the Blue Zones
approach, we hope to make it easier for people to make positive
choices that lead to longer, healthier, and happier lives.
Ultimately, this is about creating a brighter, healthier future for
everyone in Sevier County," said
Mayor Larry Waters.
Sevier County government is
partnering with the school system on the Blue Zones Ignite
assessment to bring a different approach to prevention.
"The Sevier County School System wholeheartedly supports the
Blue Zones model as a means of furthering the learning of our
students and stakeholders by expanding on the elements that are
already present in our health and wellness curricula. Educating our
students goes beyond reading, writing, and arithmetic, encompassing
healthy lifestyle choices and proven habits that help children grow
into fit, happy, productive members of our community. As such, the
Blue Zones approach is a powerful tool to help us in our mission of
educating the whole child and ensuring that students are prepared
for success in a changing world," said Stephanie Huskey, Director of Sevier County Schools.
Blue Zones Ignite is a county-wide collaborative project
championed by Cindy Ogle, former
Gatlinburg City Manager.
"Partnering with Blue Zones will bring a comprehensive approach
to improving the health, viability, and sustainability of
Sevier County residents. The
assessment will help identify our strengths and resources,
determine what else can be done, and pinpoint where in the county
to implement improvement projects. This assessment will guide us on
what projects to focus on and where to make the most impact," said
Ogle.
The Blue Zones Approach
The Blue Zones approach is based on their 25 years of research
and scientifically proven lessons of longevity, health and
happiness, from the longest-living communities in the world, and
their work transforming well-being at the population level in more
than 75 communities across the country.
Blue Zones focuses on the single largest determinant of health:
the place we live. Instead of focusing solely on individual
behavior change, Blue Zones helps communities make permanent and
semi-permanent changes to policies, systems, streets, surroundings,
and social networks so it's easier for residents to eat wisely,
move naturally, and connect more with others as they move
throughout their day. By improving the Life Radius®—the
area close to home where most Americans spend 90% of their
lives—Blue Zones transformations have been able to move the needle
dramatically in improving overall population health and well-being.
Participating communities have seen double-digit drops in obesity
and smoking rates, economic investment in downtown corridors, grant
funding awards to support policies and programs to improve health
equity, and measurable savings in healthcare costs.
Ben Leedle, CEO of Blue Zones and
Co-founder of Blue Zones Project, said: "We are looking forward to
partnering with Sevier County
community leaders in this shared vision of a healthier future for
the region. By applying the time-tested principles of Blue Zones,
we help communities create supportive environments and a culture
where healthy living is the norm. Research shows this brings
sustainable impact in healthier and happier people, a better and
more productive workforce, and a stronger economy."
The Blue Zones expert team will connect with Sevier County leaders and organizations to
begin immediate work assessing the strengths, needs, and challenges
that residents are facing today. Blue Zones will then create a
transformation plan that, once implemented, can drive widespread
improvements in well-being, reductions in healthcare costs, and
improve economic vitality in the region.
About Blue Zones
Blue Zones employs evidence-based
ways to help people live better, longer. The company's work is
rooted in explorations and research done by founder and National
Geographic Fellow Dan Buettner in blue zones regions around the
world, where people live extraordinarily long and/or happy lives.
The original research and findings were released in Buettner's
bestselling books The Blue Zones Solution, The Blue Zones of
Happiness, The Blue Zones, Thrive, Blue Zones Kitchen, Blue Zones
Challenge, and Blue Zones American Kitchen—all published by
National Geographic books. An Emmy Award-winning docuseries, Live
to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones, was released on Netflix in 2023.
Using original Blue Zones research, Blue Zones works with cities
and counties to make healthy choices easier through permanent and
semi-permanent changes to our human-made surroundings.
Participating communities have experienced double-digit drops in
obesity and tobacco use and have saved millions of dollars in
healthcare costs. For more information, visit bluezones.com.
Contacts:
Naomi Imatome-Yun
Blue Zones
naomi@bluezones.com
Tyler Basler
tbasler@seviercountytn.org
865-774-3643
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SOURCE Blue Zones
