Blue Zones Project Scottsdale has released new Gallup data that sheds light on the well-being and happiness among Scottsdale residents. From June through August 2023, Gallup partnered with Blue Zones Project Scottdale to understand how residents are doing right now.

The exclusive, localized data measures well-being across five key components: career, community, social, physical, and financial.

IMPORTANT HIGHLIGHTS:

• Scottsdale’s overall Well-Being Index score is high at 67.5, surpassing the national well-being score of 58.2
• Usage of personal strengths, reaching goals, liking what they do each day, accountability partnering, pride in the community, exercise, produce consumption, BMI and density are all above average
• Use of outdoor resources such as walking trails or parks is moderately better than national averages
• Greeting other people in the neighborhood exceeds what is reported nationally, with 39% citing 6 plus neighbors
• Residents wish to live and age in Scottsdale at nearly double national rates (45% to 24%)

Key metrics with room for improvement:

• Above normal weight (among men) and associated chronic conditions such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol run high
  · Cancer rates run unusually high at 12.1 percent (compared to 7.0 percent nationally)
  · Heart attack rate run high among men, a function of BMI challenges and daily stress levels
  · One-quarter of residents have volunteered in the past 6 months, slightly under national rates

In addition to insights from the Gallup data, Blue Zones Project Scottsdale will also focus on the concerns identified by HonorHealth in its 2021 Community Health Needs Assessment. The assessment highlighted isolation and loneliness as significant health issues in the community, reporting that “24.7 percent of City of Scottsdale residents indicated that they sometimes, rarely, or never had someone to turn to in the past year.”

While Gallup revealed that residents want to live and age in Scottsdale at twice the national levels, the nationwide isolation and loneliness epidemic has also hit the city, leaving many wondering who to call in times of need. To preserve the unique character of the region while preparing for the growing aging population, the time has come to take action to improve and safeguard the well-being of Scottsdale residents.

“Blue Zones Project Scottsdale focuses on enhancing the well-being of the people who live, work, and play in Scottsdale.  The data gathered through our initial assessment, combined with the findings from the Foundation & Planning phase, and integrated with our Gallup survey metrics, contributes to the development of the Blue Zones Project Scottsdale Blueprint. The Blueprint, strategic plan, aims to guide the transformation in the coming years,” Sarah Kearney explained.

About Blue Zones Project Scottsdale

Blue Zones Project® is brought to Scottsdale by Blue Zones and leading organizations HonorHealth, The Cigna Group and Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona. In collaboration with the City of Scottsdale, this innovative partnership brings together private and public organizations under a shared vision to support, build, and measurably improve community well-being in Scottsdale. Over five years, local leadership and the local Blue Zones Project team will launch and implement the Blue Zones Life Radius® model to make healthy choices easier in Scottsdale through permanent and semi-permanent changes to the built environment, food environment, public policies, and social networks.

Visit bluezonesprojectscottsdale.com/ for more information.

Header photo by Robert Murray on Unsplash

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