Blue Zones Project Launched in Scottsdale Connects Health and Community

The Blue Zones Project: An HonorHealth Collaborative for Scottsdale hosted a free kickoff event at the Scottsdale Civic Center, where people from the community could participate in a variety of activities and learn how to build healthier habits for a better life.

Blue zones are places in the world — in regions such as Okinawa, Japan, Ikaria, Greece, and Loma Linda, California — with higher-than-average rates of longevity. People in blue zones reportedly live longer than the average American, reaching 90 to 100 years of age.

Blue Zones Projects around the world aim to teach people the elements of living a long, healthy life.

“What these projects are trying to do is bring elements of healthy living to the community where they’re developing a blue zone,” said Farshad Fani Marvasti, MD, MPH (Dr. Shad), director of Integrative Medicine at HonorHealth and the founding director of both the Culinary Medicine Program and the Wellness, Integrative Medicine and Nutrition Certificate of Distinction (COD) at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix. “With this initiative, we’re going to look at food and how we can use it as medicine, as well as how to help people engage in more physical activity because exercise is also medicine.”

Hundreds of attendees explored activities, including yoga instruction, interactive lectures, cooking demonstrations and booths from community partners. Local food trucks provided delicious, healthy food. Cigna offered free health screenings for blood pressure, weight, cholesterol and blood sugar. Ten medical students from the U of A College of Medicine – Phoenix were available to discuss what the screening numbers meant and educate attendees about how to improve their numbers.

Becky Salamanca and Arun Rajendran are both first-year medical students enrolled in the Wellness, Integrated Medicine and Nutrition (WIN) COD at the College of Medicine – Phoenix who volunteered at the HonorHealth booth.

Rajendran said he learned the importance of taking care of your mental health, incorporating a healthy diet and used this opportunity to talk with potential patients about options for a healthier lifestyle.

“The WIN COD has done a good job of making these resources available to patients at events like these and also helping educate students on how to communicate that with patients,” Rajendran said.

Salamanca said she spoke with a patient at the booth who opened up about her lifestyle and diet. The conversation flowed seamlessly, and Salamanca said she enjoyed discussing alternative options for the patient.

“It was nice to integrate all of the information I know and then walk her toward getting the screening done to further understand her health status,” Salamanca said. “It felt very natural to talk about what her current interests are and how we can modify her current lifestyles to help improve her health.”

Dr. Shad also led a session on how to live better for longer. Chef Charleen Badman, a James Beard Award Winning chef who is part of the Culinary Medicine Program hosted a cooking demonstration.

“I want to tell people that genes are not our destiny, but rather how we live our life can change the expression of our genes, for better or worse,” Dr. Shad said. “I want to give people tips and empower them with the tools they need to optimize their health.”

The success of the Blue Zones Project: An HonorHealth Collaborative for Scottsdale kickoff event makes the future of the community’s health appear bright. Dr. Shad said there will be several other events where students will be plugged in for service-learning opportunities.

“The best way to learn is by doing and by serving the community and educating folks,” Dr. Shad said. “It’s a great opportunity for the public to learn how to become healthier, and it’s a great opportunity for the students to develop these skills while serving others to the future when they become physicians.”

Kate Masuch, the director of Corporate Sustainability and Social Impact at Novo Nordisk Inc., said that exercise and healthy eating have an impact on improving health outcomes, which is central to Novo Nordisk’s mission to reduce the burden of chronic diseases for vulnerable populations.

“By incorporating culinary medicine into the medical curriculum, and getting students out teaching and cooking in communities, we can help build healthier habits here in Arizona and beyond,” Masuch said. “We’re thrilled to have been able to showcase this work at the Blue Zone opening with Dr. Shad Marvasti.”

Norvo Nordisk awarded a two-year $750K grant to the University of Arizona in 2022 to help bring food and nutrition education to vulnerable communities in the greater Phoenix area, and the Blue Zones Project is an extension of this collaboration.

The Blue Zones Project by Sharecare is a community-led well-being improvement initiative that launched its first community model in 2009. Since then, the model has been applied to more than 70 communities across North America, improving the lives of 4.35 million people. HonorHealth is the main sponsor for the first Blue Zones Project in the state of Arizona.