SOUTH BEND — People in Nicoya, Costa Rica, are twice as likely as Americans to reach a healthy age 90.
In 2004, author David Buettner and National Geographic teamed up with longevity researchers to find out why certain pockets of people in the world reach age 100 at rates 10 times greater than in the United States.
They discovered that these pockets — or Blue Zones, as they call them — had nine shared lifestyle characteristics that might explain longevity. They called these the Power 9.
Now, Beacon Health System is hoping to apply some of those factors to South Bend and Elkhart. The hope is that the communities' health will improve and that they will attract workers who want to live a healthier lifestyle.
But in order to become official Blue Zones Project-certified communities, the cities have to demonstrate that enough community leaders will support the effort.
What is a Blue Zones community?
"It goes beyond diet and exercise," said Rick Zeeff, community well-being coordinator for the Blue Zones Project at Beacon. In a Blue Zones community, members — schools, employers, restaurants, grocery stores and community leaders — collaborate on policies and programs that move the community toward better health and well-being.
The communities try to incorporate the Power 9 traits, including moving naturally, eating more plant-based foods and having a strong support system. The project's goal is to lower obesity and smoking rates, increase vegetable consumption and daily physical activity levels, generate medical cost savings and improve overall well-being.
Other communities have reaped benefits from participating in the project, according to data collected through the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. Healthways, a health management organization in Franklin, Tenn., implements the Blue Zone Project.