Seven communities statewide are now
certified Blue Zones Communities
Seven communities across Hawai‘i have been named certified Blue Zones Communities®. Becoming a certified Blue Zones Community is a rigorous process that takes three to five years to complete and signifies a tipping point toward long-term well-being change.
Brought to Hawai‘i through an innovative sponsorship by HMSA, Blue Zones Project® is a community-led, well-being improvement initiative designed to make healthy choices easier through permanent changes to lifestyle, environment, policy, and social networks.
Since 2015, Blue Zones Project – Hawai‘i has impacted more than 738,000 residents, representing 50% of Hawai‘i’s population, through the certification of Blue Zones Communities in North Hawai‘i, East Hawai‘i, West Hawai‘i, Central Maui, Kapolei-‘Ewa, Mānoa-Makiki-McCully-Mō‘ili‘ili, and Wahiawā.
Blue Zones Project – Hawai‘i has also helped over 1,000 organizations implement well-being best practices, such as walking groups, healthier food options and engagement activities to improve productivity, satisfaction, and staff retention. Statewide, Blue Zones Project participating employers, such as The Queen’s Medical Center – West O‘ahu, Hawaiian Telcom, the state’s Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, and the County of Hawai‘i, have seen a 34% reduction in turnover, a 27% decrease in obesity among employees, and a 60% increase in average employee performance.
Blue Zones Project – Hawai‘i has seen dramatic positive outcomes since the baseline measurement year in 2015. Chronic disease factors such as BMI, nutrition, and life evaluation — proven to drive medical costs and productivity — have decreased by 8.8%. According to Sharecare’s annual state well-being rankings, Hawai‘i continues to be one of the ‘healthiest’ states in the country; however, there is much more work to be done to address health disparities across the state.
With the help of community partners, transformations to food policy, tobacco policy, and the built environment have made significant improvements across the state. Blue Zones Project – Hawai‘i helped secure more than $200 million in grant funding towards improvements in policies, programs, and infrastructure projects, such as improving access to healthy food as well as pedestrian safety across the state through quick build projects. Furthermore, Blue Zones Project – Hawai‘i volunteers provided in-kind service valued at $528,332 toward the betterment of the community and Blue Zones Project participating organization initiatives.
Now, more than ever, it’s important to continue to support the well-being of Hawai‘i residents through economic recovery and well-being initiatives.