5-2-1-0, a unified countdown to healthy living

If you’ve already Made the Leap and taken the Jump IN Pledge, or if you’ve snooped around in our resource hub, you’ve probably run across materials promoting our 5-2-1-0 daily goal:

Maybe you’ve wondered where these recommendations come from, or why you see them so often. Maybe you’ve noticed the same graphics in other cities as you’ve travelled throughout the U.S. Here is the behind-the-scenes story.

5-2-1-0 is a simple slogan created by our colleagues at Let’s Go! in Maine to help parents, educators, childcare providers, youth leaders, healthcare providers, business leaders, politicians, and others remember four important healthy living recommendations:

• Consume 5 or more fruits and vegetable servings
• Limit screen time to 2 hours or less
• Get 1 hour of physical activity
• Drink 0 sugary beverages

These research-proven strategies come from the American Academy of Pediatrics, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Let’s Go! and its pilot CDC-backed study in Maine proved that consistent exposure to this simple 5-2-1-0 message not only increased awareness of the specific daily recommendations but also improved families’ performance on at least two of the four daily goals.

As a result, childhood health advocates all across the country have incorporated the 5-2-1-0 message into their own initiatives. At Jump IN for Healthy Kids, we encourage adults in a wide range of sectors—schools, childcare providers, youth organizations, places of worship, families and even employers—to share the 5-2-1-0 message and commit to the daily goals.

“5-2-1-0 is evidence-based, easy to remember and adaptable so that it can be implemented in different environments,” said Jump IN CEO Ron Gifford. “To have a sustainable impact on childhood obesity in central Indiana, we need this kind of consistent, unified goal at our foundation.”

Jump IN is supporting schools, childcare providers, youth organizations, places of worship, and employers in helping families meet these daily goals by providing tips, strategies, research, case studies, and more to make central Indiana a healthy place to live.