Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Revamps Free School Health Program

5 – Eat five fruits and vegetables every day

2 – Limit screen time (TV, video games, computers) to two hours or less per day

1 – Get at least one hour of physical activity each day

0 – Avoid sweetened drinks, filling up on water instead

PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Registration is now open for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona’s expanded 2011 Walk On! Challenge. Fifth-grade teachers who register and participate in the program will once again be eligible to apply for one of five $5,000 grants.

“The 5-2-1-0 formula is a fun and memorable way to learn the healthy habits that are essential for this age group to establish to avoid obesity”

The Walk On! Challenge is a free 28-day health and fitness challenge held each year in February. With childhood obesity reaching epidemic proportions, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona designed the program to motivate fifth-grade students across Arizona to incorporate healthy habits into their daily routines now for a healthier future.

According to information from First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign, one-third of all children born in 2000 or later will suffer from diabetes at some point in their lives. Many others will face chronic obesity-related health problems such as heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer and asthma.

Not only is childhood obesity a social and health issue, it’s an economic issue.

The American Public Health Association states that, among children and adolescents, the annual cost of treating obesity-related diseases has increased more than threefold, from $35 million to $127 million between 1979 and 1999.

To increase the program’s impact, new this year is the addition of the 5-2-1-0 goal, which teaches children the following four principles:

The Walk On! Challenge has always asked participants to track the minutes of exercise they completed each day. But this year fifth-graders will be challenged to track their daily minutes of exercise along with how many fruits and vegetables they eat, how much screen time they get and how many sweetened drinks they have every day in the month of February.

“The 5-2-1-0 formula is a fun and memorable way to learn the healthy habits that are essential for this age group to establish to avoid obesity,” said Rich Boals, president and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona. “In fact, one U.S. Surgeon General study showed that if a child was overweight between ages 10 and 15, he or she would have a 70 percent chance of still being obese at 25. This program reaches children at a time when they can use additional support and information to make healthy choices.”

Fifth-grade teachers who register for the Walk On! Challenge at www.azblue.com/WalkOn and implement it in their classrooms can apply for a chance to win one of five $5,000 grants for their school to continue the efforts to combat childhood obesity.

“I was stunned and excited to learn I was a recipient of a $5,000 grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona for exceptional participation in the Walk On! program,” said Heather Johnson, a PE teacher at Jordan Elementary School in Chandler. “With our purchase from our grant award we can continue that effort every day, not just during the month of the Challenge.”

The Walk On! Challenge is open to all fifth-grade classrooms in Arizona. Classroom registration is required to ensure that those students who reach the 5-2-1-0 goal every day for the month will receive their reward for completing the Challenge and be entered into a drawing for prizes. This year’s reward is a drawstring backpack and prizes include iPod^® Shuffles and Wii Fit™ game consoles.

Arizona principals and fifth-grade teachers interested in registering for the Walk On! Challenge or who want to know more about the grants can visit azblue.com/walkon.

About Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (BCBSAZ), an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, is the largest Arizona-based health insurance company. The not-for-profit company was founded in 1939 and provides health insurance products, services or networks to nearly 1.3 million individuals. With offices in Phoenix, Flagstaff, Tempe and Tucson, the company employs more than 1,500 Arizonans. For information about BCBSAZ and its HealthyBlue program, an integrated program of tools, resources and services that can help Arizonans live a healthier lifestyle, visit azblue.com/HealthyBlue.