Blue Zones Project Shifts Community Well-Being Across Hawai‘i
Seven Communities Statewide Are Now Certified Blue Zones Communities

With the recent celebration of Kapolei-'Ewa in April, Hawai‘i Medical Service Association; Sharecare, Inc.; and Blue Zones, LLC announced 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. 

Watch this video to learn about Blue Zones Project - Hawai‘i’s positive impact and how the program is improving health and well-being across Hawai‘i.

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.

Blue Zones Project - East Hawai'i's first anniversary event in 2016 

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-4M volunteers enjoying their time at a community event

Blue Zones Project - Hawai‘i has also helped over 1,000 businesses implement well-being best practices, such as walking groups, healthier food options and engagement activities to improve productivity, satisfaction, and retention. Statewide, Blue Zones Project participating employers, such as The Queen’s Medical Center – West O‘ahu, Hawaiian Telcom, state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, and 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.

"We’re excited to see the great progress Blue Zones Project - Hawai‘i has made in improving the overall health and well-being within communities across the state,” said Kathy Morimoto, HMSA vice president of Clinical Integration and Community Health. “By encouraging and elevating communities as a whole to make healthier choices through permanent changes to lifestyle, environment, policy, and social networks, we are confident Blue Zones Project - Hawai‘i will continue to generate meaningful impact. It is our goal for family, friends, and neighbors to live their best lives.”

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.

Blue Zones Project-Wahiawa staff and volunteers from Wahiawa Fresh!

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 towards the betterment of the community and Blue Zones Project participating organization initiatives.

Blue Zones Project-West Hawai'i volunteers contributed their time to beautifying the Palamanui Campus with native Hawaiian plants. 

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. To learn more about Blue Zones Project, contact the Blue Zones Project team in Hawai‘i at bluezonesprojecthawaii@sharecare.com, or visit www.bzphawaii.com.

Ho‘omaika‘i Hawai‘i!