Beach Cities Health District - Blue Zone

Blue Zone

Blue Zone is a concept used to identify a demographic and/or geographic area of the world where people live measurably longer lives, particularly marked by physically active centenarians. Beach Cities Health District succeeded in being the top finalist among 55 communities vying to become the next Blue Zone in a joint venture with HealthWays and a team of experts to work on a pilot program to make the next Blue Zone on earth through healthy community initiatives. Working in concert with the three city governments, school district and local employers, the goal is to improve the health of residents through making policy-level environmental improvements.

In January 30, 2012, Blue Zones survey data provided by Gallup Polls showed many health indicators up in beach cities, most notably: 14 percent drop in obesity, 3.6 percent decrease in smoking (seven percent of residents report smoking compared to 10.6 percent previously), and 5.6 percent increase in residents exercising at least 30 minutes three times a week.

After three years as a joint venture with Nashville-based HealthWays, the program was approved by the governing board of the Beach Cities Health District to continue as a completely District-funded project, furthering the mission of the District and continuing on the path established by the accomplishments achieved in the first two years.