Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield and Healthways Inc. today named six more communities as Blue Zones Project demonstration sites in Iowa.

The communities are Cedar Rapids, Muscatine, Iowa City, Oskaloosa, Marion and Sioux City.

The selected communities will receive assistance from experts to develop and implement a blueprint for making permanent environmental, social and policy changes that transition people into healthier behaviors that can lead to longer, happier lives.

The six newly selected communities join Cedar Falls, Mason City, Spencer and Waterloo, which were named in May 2012. The project is based on principles developed by Dan Buettner and is the centerpiece of the Healthiest State Initiative.