FAQs

What is Walk On!?
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona is teaming up with elementary schools throughout the state for the seventh year of the Walk On! Challenge, a fun, educational program designed to motivate kids across Arizona to incorporate healthy habits into their daily routines. It’s all part of an effort to promote exercise and good nutrition as key elements of a healthy lifestyle. Using the formula 5-2-1-0, program materials will teach children the following four principles: eat five fruits and vegetables every day; limit screen time (TV, video games, computers) to two hours or less per day; get at least one hour of physical activity each day; and avoid sweetened drinks, filling up on water instead. Fifth-graders will be challenged to track not only their daily minutes of exercise, but how many fruits and vegetables they eat, how much screen time they get and how many sweetened drinks they have each day in the month of February. Top

Why did Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona create this program?
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona cares about Arizona’s children and it is concerned about the alarming number of them who are affected by obesity. The Walk On! Challenge is a positive program designed to help children learn healthy habits to reduce the incidence of obesity among children in the state. Top

Is the Walk On! Challenge open to anyone who wants to register?
Registration for the program is only open to teachers of fifth-graders. The Walk On! Challenge was specifically designed for fifth-graders based on research that revealed that this age group 1) sees physical fitness as important, 2) thrives on goal-oriented behaviors that build self-esteem, and 3) are still seeking approval from adults, making them more receptive to school programs than their older counterparts. However, the principles of the Challenge are good for every age group and for families to do together. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona encourages anyone who is interested to take the Challenge right along with Arizona’s fifth-graders. A tracking brochure is available online in January 2012. Top

Is there a deadline to register for the Walk On! Challenge?
Yes. All fifth-grade-teacher registrations for the Walk On! Challenge must be submitted online at azblue.com/walkon by December 9, 2011. However, for those who miss the deadline or who are not fifth-grade teachers and would still like to participate in the Challenge, you can download and print the interactive student brochure from azblue.com/walkon in January. Top

When does the Walk On! Challenge begin?
The Walk On! Challenge will officially begin February 1, 2012. Top

What do teachers receive when they register for the Walk On! Challenge?
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona created tracking brochure for teachers to provide to each of their fifth-grade students. In addition, teachers will receive instructions on implementing the program, an educational poster for the classroom, an interactive tracking poster for the classroom and a flier to send home with the kids. There is also a set of pre- and post-event surveys that will allow teachers to measure how much their students learned participating in the program. Top

Can Walk On! Challenge participants earn rewards?
Yes. The Walk On! Challenge is open to fifth-graders throughout Arizona, and at the end of the Challenge, all participants who complete the Challenge and submit their results will receive a popular Walk On! drawstring backpack. Fifth-graders who meet the 5-2-1-0 goal for at least 14 days in the month of February will also be eligible to win one of five iPod Nano 8GB or one of forty $25 Big 5 Sporting Goods gift cards. In addition, schools that support the Walk On! Challenge in the classroom with specific curriculum and achieve 100 percent participation from the fifth-graders in each class will be eligible to win one of five $5,000 grants to be used to further impact the childhood obesity level in their school. Top

Are there any NEW elements to this year’s Walk On! Challenge?
This year Walk On! will introduce a healthy recipe contest. Students interested in submitting their favorite, healthy recipe must be between 9 and 12 years old, live in metro Phoenix and submit their recipe online. The lucky winner will get to prepare their dish live on TV!

How did Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona determine the 5-2-1-0 goal?
The 5-2-1-0 goal is a fun and memorable way to remember healthy habits. Organizations that recommend at least five fruits and vegetables each day, two hours or less of screen time and zero sweetened drinks include the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Diabetes Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Top