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home / Health
BCBSAZ provides free health program to AZ elementary schools
Received article
Monday, November 28, 2011
Program supports teachers’ efforts in the classroom
PHOENIX, AZ -- Registration for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona’s (BCBSAZ) 2012 Walk On! Challenge is now open. In its seventh year, the program is a consistent component for many fifth-grade classrooms around Arizona, supporting schools’ efforts to teach the importance of good nutrition and physical activity.
The Walk On! Challenge is a free health and fitness challenge implemented in classrooms each year in February designed to motivate fifth-grade students across Arizona to incorporate healthy habits into their daily routines for a healthier future.
“This program is having a positive impact in the lives of our students and they are more aware of healthy choices on a daily basis,” said Victoria Bonavito, P.E. teacher at Desert View Elementary in Washington School District, Phoenix. “At our school, the 5-2-1-0 goal helped point out our need for bottled water instead of juice at breakfast and lunch, something we may not have considered without the Walk On! Challenge.”
According to www.statehealthfacts.org, nearly one-third of all children in Arizona are either overweight or obese. These children have an elevated risk for a range of health and social problems -- now and in the future. And, according to the American Public Health Association, 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.
“Making a difference in Arizona’s childhood obesity rates is going to take the work of a lot of different agencies, organizations, and businesses working together,” said Richard Boals, President and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona. “The success of our program over the past seven years and the feedback from teachers tells us we’re on the right track with the Walk On! Challenge. It’s now one of our core goals in the company to make an even bigger impact on the childhood obesity rate in Arizona in as many different ways as possible.”
In addition to providing information and materials for teachers to use in the classroom, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona offers five $5,000 grants to schools that participate in the program so they can continue teaching the importance of physical education and nutrition after the Challenge has ended.
The Walk On! Challenge is open to all fifth-grade classes in Arizona. Registration is required to ensure students who reach the 5-2-1-0 goal at least 15 days in the month will receive their reward and be entered into a drawing for prizes. This year’s prizes include drawstring backpacks, iPod® Nanos, and gift certificates for sporting equipment.
Arizona fifth-grade teachers and school administration members interested in registering for the Walk On! Challenge or who want to know more about the grant criteria can visit www.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 1.2 million individuals. With offices in Phoenix, Flagstaff, Tucson, and the East Valley, the company employs more than 1,300 Arizonans.
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mpsaz.org / CopaNews.com
The program is open to all fifth-grade classes in Arizona.
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