Details of Iowa's Healthiest State Initiative unveiled

CEDAR RAPIDS - A world record attempt will be among efforts to boost Iowa as the healthiest state within five years.

All Iowans are encouraged to participate in the Start Somewhere Walk at noon on Friday, Oct. 7.

If 250,000 people join in the 1 kilometer walk, it would become a Guinness World Record for number of people in a single-purpose walk on a single day, said Ruth Comer, spokeswoman for Hy-Vee, one of the backers of the Healthiest State Initiative.

“We're facing some very serious health issues in this country and certainly in Iowa,” Comer said. “(The walk) symbolizes a starting point. You have to start somewhere.”

One kilometer is six-tenths of a mile - about seven city blocks or a 12-minute walk.

Gov. Terry Branstad last week announced the plan to make Iowa -  currently ranked 19

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the healthiest state by 2016.

Besides the walk, communities throughout Iowa will be encouraged to participate in a Blue Zones Project, said Denise Pfeifer, spokewoman for Wellmark, another of the plan's supporters.

Blue Zones, based on National Geographic writer Dan Buettner's book, are places around the world where people live longer, healthier lives. Pfeifer said more information will be available next month on how communities can apply to be one of 10 Blue Zones in Iowa.

A Blue Zones project was completed in 2009 to bring those principles to Albert Lea, Minn.

Biking and hiking paths were connected throughout the community; schools and businesses implemented policy changes to increase activity; restaurants changed their menus to offer more healthy choices; volunteers planted 70 community gardens and a “walking school bus” was started to help children walk to school under the supervision of parents and volunteers.

Results showed life expectancy increased an average of 3.2 years; participants lost an average of 3 pounds each; key employers saw an average 21 percent drop in absenteeism and city employees showed a 49 percent decrease in health care costs.

Wellmark is funding Iowa's Blue Zones Project. New policies and changes at an individual level could result from the project, Pfeifer said.

“We've engineered movement out of our lives,” she said. “We can park 2 inches from our door.”

Pfeifer said lifestyle changes could put $16 billion back in the state's economy from health care expenses and lost productivity.

She and Comer spoke Wednesday, Aug. 17, to The Gazette Editorial Board.

“Our goal is to go after this holistically,” Pfeifer said, citing a joint effort between individuals, businesses and others.

But Iowa faces challenges.

Two-thirds of Iowans are considered overweight or obese, with related chronic health conditions such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease.

The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index ranked Iowa 34

For more information on the walk and the Healthiest State Initiative, see:

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in healthy behavior and 38

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in work environment of all 50 states. Those are among the measures that will be monitored as Iowa seeks to improve its ranking.

www.IowaHealthiestState.com