UTMB is preparing to step into an exciting new partnership that has the potential to shape the health and longevity of our Galveston community for years to come. Led by UTMB President and UTMB Health System CEO Dr. Jochen Reiser, we will officially kick off our collaboration on the Blue Zones Project, a nationally recognized approach that helps communities transform their environment to support longer, healthier lives.

What Makes Blue Zones Special?

The Blue Zones approach is grounded in decades of research studying regions of the world where people live longer, healthier lives with lower rates of chronic disease. Dan Buettner and the team at National Geographic set out to find pockets of people around the world with the highest life expectancy, or with the highest proportions of people who reach age 100. They found five places, Blue Zones, that met this criteria:

• Barbagia region of Sardinia – Mountainous highlands of inner Sardinia with the world’s highest concentration of male centenarians.
• Ikaria, Greece – Aegean Island with one of the world’s lowest rates of middle age mortality and the lowest rates of dementia.
• Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica – World’s lowest rates of middle age mortality, second highest concentration of male centenarians.
• Seventh Day Adventists – Highest concentration is around Loma Linda, California. They live 10 years longer than their North American counterparts.
• Okinawa, Japan – Females over 70 are the longest-lived population in the world.

 Across all five locations, several evidenced based lifestyle habits emerged, that they call the “Power 9 Principles”.  These include moving naturally throughout the day, having a sense of purpose, eating plant-based foods, prioritizing social connections, reducing stress, and creating environments that support health.

Blue Zones Project

Across the country, the Blue Zones team have partnered with hospitals, universities, local governments, schools, faith organizations, and employers to drive measurable improvements in well-being. These partnerships have led to changes like healthier food environments, stronger social networks, opportunities for movement built into daily routines, and policies that support long-term health and longevity.

With the Board of Regents’ approval, UTMB will now help lead the launch of Blue Zones Project, Galveston as a multi-year initiative. For UTMB, this partnership represents an opportunity to align our mission of education, research, and clinical care with a broader vision of community well-being.

Please join us at the kickoff meeting that will outline what this partnership will look like, how faculty and staff can engage, and where early opportunities for collaboration will emerge. We look forward to sharing more about these opportunities in future newsletter editions!

Blue Zones Project – Community Meeting (Flier)
Date: Thursday, March 5
Time: 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Location: William C. Levin Hall Auditorium – Galveston Campus, 1006 Market St., Galveston, TX 77550 

Source: Am J Lifestyle Med. 2016 Jul 7;10(5):318–321.doi: 10.1177/1559827616637066