‘Find your apple’: Be Well WA initiative encourages residents to take small steps to improved health

Launching the new Be Well WA initiative, city and state leaders want Spokanites to take just one step a day to improve their health.

Developed by the Washington Department of Health, the campaign aims to give tips on how people can make small improvements in their movement, emotional well-being, nourishment and social connection.

Speaking at the campaign’s Eastern Washington launch Friday, Washington Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah played on the old adage of eating an apple a day to keep the doctor away.

“Find your apple. It doesn’t actually have to be an apple, but do something. Be intentional about something,” Shah said. “Find a way to feed your body better, to move better, to connect to a new person today. Being intentional about these small things can have a drastic impact on our health and wellness.”

Spokane Regional Health District health officer Dr. Francisco Velazquez said recent surveys conducted by the agency have shown improvements in physical activity, but the community still struggles with mental health.

“We have opportunities to improve mental and behavioral health. We have opportunities to improve physical health, and more importantly, we have opportunities to improve that sense of belonging, which includes everything from sports to volunteering and everything in between,” he said.

Speaking at the Friday launch, Spokane Hoopfest Director Riley Stockton said his organization is committed to bringing about social connection through physical movement. Hoopfest is especially focused on youths, he said. Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were 44 youth teams playing Hoopfest that summer, and in the most recent, there were 420 youth teams.

Spokane Public Schools Superintendent Adam Swinyard said the last decade has seen a sharp decline in student mental health and social connection. He mostly blamed not the pandemic, but cell phone use. Spokane Public Schools recently banned cellphone use in classrooms.

“We have seen a dramatic downward spiral in the wellness and the mental health of our students,” Swinyard said at the Be Well WA event. “The data is really clear. Many of our kids are struggling. These types of initiatives are so important because the way forward is cooperation and awareness.”

The SRHD has data showing one in nine Spokane County residents self-reported poor mental health, with the primary stressors behind that statistic being an individual’s financial situation and work. Those with poor mental health were also highly correlated to those with poor physical health.

According to the survey, 41% of Spokane County residents exercise 1-3 days a week and another 21% exercised 4-5 days a week. Only 24% of the population do not regularly exercise.

But the survey found difficulty in maintaining good nutrition, with 24% of residents reporting at least occasionally cutting meal sizes or skipping meals because of financial insecurity. While the FDA recommends five servings of fruit and vegetables a day, only 33% of respondents reported meeting or exceeding that amount.

Asked how Spokane residents can improve their health, Velazquez said the most important thing is “awareness.”

“Sometimes we get into a pattern, and we need to step back and think about the small steps we can take. Especially with mental health. Be intentional about engaging with each other. Be intentional about noticing each other, and be intentional about noticing when someone may need a hand,” he said.

Shah recommends taking a look at bewellwa.org and finding an “action-based” activity to make that first step to wellness.

“Our motto is simple: Find your apple. Find your apple each and every day.”