Blue Project DE is working to establish “Blue Zones” in the state where communities could implement healthier lifestyle choices

In an effort to promote community wellness, Blue Project DE presented information about their program to Milford City Council. Kim Blanch, BSN, RN, a co-founder and Director of Community Outreach at Beebe Healthcare, began by providing statistics on the health crisis in Delaware.

“I’ve been in the population health department now for 10 years and, in my role, have the responsibility of conducting health needs assessment, a triennial assessment followed by a community health implementation or improvement plan,” Blanch said. “And as much great work is being done out there by numerous agencies and organizations, it is really difficult to move the needle on the health of a population.”

According to data provided, 72.7 percent of Sussex County adults and 33.2 percent of children are overweight or obese. In addition, 24.6 percent of adults have diabetes, 36.2 percent have high blood pressure and 7.1 percent have cardiovascular disease. Mental health is also in crisis in the first state. Statistics show 149,000 adults have a mental health condition with 32.8 percent reporting symptoms of anxiety or depression. When it comes to children, 9,000 between the ages of 12 and 17 have depression.

“When you add to that 11.5 percent of families deal with food insecurity, you can understand why healthcare is in crisis,” Blanch said. “Although the health of our community is critical, the cost of an unhealthy community is staggering.”

Blanch explained that healthcare cost $9.1 billion in 2021, up 11 percent from 2020. Insurance claims for Medicaid in Delaware were $2.4 billion and approximately 40 percent of the total operating budget is spent on healthcare. Prediabetes and diabetes cost Delaware an estimated $1.1 billion annually while the group health insurance plan that covers all state employees, families and retirees spent $1.2 billion.

“This is why we developed Blue Zones, a community-led effort that helps people lead longer, better lives by making healthy choices easier,” Blanch said. ‘It is a about conveying health in a framework that supports sustainability. The Blue Zones are based on six areas of the world where people live longer and have improved health outcomes. Loma Linda, California, the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica, Sardinia in Italy, Ikaria in Greece, Okinawa in Japan are the original five while Singapore recently came on board.”

In these areas of the world, people not only live longer, they live better in a healthy way. Blanch explained it was not just about living longer, but about healthful longevity. Blue Project DE achieves this with nine key principals.

“We’ve found that lifestyles of Blue Zone centenarians all shared nine commonalities. They all are moving naturally, and they know how to destress. They also eat wisely,” Blanch said. “In Okinawa, they have s saying ‘hara hachi bu’ which means ‘eat until you are 80 percent full” as it takes some time for your stomach to tell your brain it is full. This is a natural part of their culture. Their diet is also plant slanted, not vegan or vegetarian, but more produce and fewer animal proteins.”

Wine at Five is another of the commonalities among those who live longer in Blue Zones. Blanch stated that this would not apply to someone who did not have a healthy relationship with alcohol, but for those who do, having wine with friends at 5 PM creates an opportunity for social connectedness. The United States Surgeon General recently reported that social isolation is detrimental to health which is why one of the commonalities was having the right “tribe.”

“If your three closest friends smoke, chances are you will be a smoker. If your friends are active, there is a greater likelihood you will be active,” Blanch said. “So, choosing the right tribe and having friends or people close to you who have healthy, positive behaviors encourages you to do the same. It is also important to put your loved ones first and have a sense of belonging.”

Blue Zones work to improve well-being in what is known as the “Life Radius.” Evidence shows that people spend 90 percent of their time within a 20-mile radius of their home. Blue Project DE looks at those areas and tries to identify where improvements can be made, whether it is more bicycle and walking paths, a sense of gathering or more areas to purchase healthier food items at a reasonable cost.

“One of the first Blue Zones created in this country was in Albert Lea, Minnesota, 15 years ago. Since implementing the project, they have seen a 49 percent decrease in medical claims for city workers, 2.9 years added to the lifespan of those who participated, a 48 percent increase in tourism and $40 million in grant funding to support the initiative.”

Beach Cities, California, implemented Blue Zones 11 years ago and have seen a 55 percent reduction in childhood obesity, 15 percent drop in overweight or obese adults, 10 percent increase in regular exercise, 17 percent drop in smoking, 12 percent rice in life evaluation and $72 million in savings of medical cost. Fort Worth, Texas, saw a 31 percent decrease in smoking, a nine point increase in residents who exercise for at least 30 minutes three or more days each week, and an increase of 3.7 points in a well-being score index. The NCH Healthcare System, which implemented Blue Zone policies three years ago, saw a 7 percent increase in overall well-being among employees, 54 percent decrease in healthcare expenditures, $27 million reduction in self-insured medical claims and a 40 percent decline in lost workdays due to injury.

“So, how did they do this? Albert Lea added over 10 miles of new sidewalks and bike lanes where they saw a 38 percent increase in trail usage. Beach Cities secured funds to create a more walkable, bikeable and connected community with students walking 423,000 miles over the course of one school year with the new Walking School Bus Routes,” Blanch said. “Fort Worth received $6.2 million to create Safe Routes to School infrastructure and new tobacco policies eliminated smoking in city parks. Southwest, Florida, implemented 62 policies to improve the environment, reduce tobacco use and increase access to health food.”

Five Sussex County municipalities will participate in the project which will begin with an Ignite Assessment. This is a preliminary community assessment with focus groups and presentations. The next step would be to obtain community input, create a well-being measurement and begin recruiting volunteers. The blueprint for healthy living will be implemented next with an effort ti engage people while also impacting policy to drive change.

“Mark [Whitfield] and I saw this presentation at a SCAD meeting and I wanted Kimberly to come present this to council because, as she said, from our perspective, it is about making beneficial, healthy choices easier and accessible,” Councilman Jason James said. “It’s about enhancing the quality of life for our citizens. Many of the things listed are connective sidewalks, walkability, community gardens established through the city, these are all things we’ve been working on. I believe this would be a great alignment.”

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