Strong social connections help people move more, eat better, and affect happiness.

Encouraging social support for physical activitiy was identified by community as an action, that when combined with other actions in our community, that has a reasonable chance of making a difference in obesity in our community. This is an ongoing program in our community.

The priority population for this program is adult residents of Transylvania County, and the program aims to make a difference at the individual/interpersonal behavior level. Implementation will take place in community settings, including neighborhoods and organizations.

Social support for physical activity is an evidence-based strategy that has been shown to encourage participation compared to solitary activity. Walking groups known as "moai" are one of the practices identified by Blue Zones as contributing to living better longer. Group events based on physical activity such as worksite-sponsored 5K events encouage participation in the event itself as well as preparation ahead of time.

The partners for this program include:

The "Story Behind the Curve" helps us understand the causes and forces at that work that explain the data behind social support for physical activity and the resources the community plans to commit to address the health issue.

What's Helping What We Do? These are the positive forces at work in our program that influence how much we do or how well we do it.

• Desire to participate in something new and exciting
• Success of past programs in own organization and other community organizations

What's Hurting What We Do? These are the negative forces at work in our program that influence how much we do or how well we do it.

• Perception that certain activities are not for everyone ("people like me don't do that")
• Capacity of staff to support multiple programs
• Capacity of group physical activity programs to serve large populations

What's Helping Communities Served/Customer Change? These are the positive forces at work in our program that influence customer change.

• Peer pressure to participate in social activities and not miss out on planned events
• Benefits of participation (e.g. stress relief, improved energy, social connection) increase desire to participate more

What's Hurting Communities Served/Customer Change? These are the negative forces at work in our program that influence customer change.

• Barriers to participating, including lack of energy or time
• Not making good connections within a specific group

The following actions have been identified by our community as ideas for what can work for this project to make a difference on obesity.

Actions and Approaches Identified by Our Community These are actions and approaches that we think can make a difference for this performance measure.

• Support activities sponsored by community groups and employers
• Provide support for individuals who want to start a moai

No-cost and Low-cost Ideas Identified by Our Community These are no-cost and low-cost actions and approaches that we think can make a difference for this performance measure.

•  Share information through partner organizations and on social media

What Our Communities/Customers Think Would Work To Do Better These are actions and approaches that our communities served/customers think can make a difference for this performance measure.

•  Promote success of ongoing groups 

List of Questions/Research Agenda These are questions to follow-up on for this performance measure. 

•  none identified at this time

Work continues in partnership with Blue Zones Project - Brevard to support social support for group activities, as well as policies and changes that improve access and safety in the built environment. Blue Zones Project - Brevard worked to help form "moais" modeled after groups of about 5 people who commit to support each other in Okinawa. These Walking Moais created throughout the community are intended to build long-lasting friendships while exploring our community on foot.

The Blue Zones Project - Brevard received certification and the project ended in March 2023. More than 25 Walking Moais were created during the Blue Zones Project, attended by a total of 333 people who met up to move naturally together. Since 2020, physical activity is up 7.9% (the number of people who report exercising 30+ minutes, 3+ days/ week), and 6% more residents reported having someone in their lives encouraging them to be healthy.

A new non-profit, "Sparkpoint" was formed in April 2023 to expand similar efforts to the entire county. SparkPoint was awarded a CDC grant in partnership with the Town of Rosman to support healthier eating and community connections involving multiple community partners.