Sevier County Launches Blue Zones Ignite to Help Improve Well-Being for all Residents

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