5-2-1-0 WINS!
By Lauren Kollauf on Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Collaboration was key to spreading 5-2-1-0 message in Manning
It's back to the drawing board for Manning. One year after receiving grant funding from the Iowa Department of Public Health to support the 5-2-1-0 Healthy Choices Count! campaign, the community says it has completed all of its goal projects and is ready for more.
"Most of the things we came up with are done," said Lauren Subler, who assisted the city with implementing its 5-2-1-0 efforts, including increased water access and a focus on walkability. "We want to get everyone back to the table and see what ideas have come from completing these projects and see what we want to do going forward."
Manning, located in Carroll County in northwest Iowa, is home to 1,500 people. Each month representatives from nearly a dozen organizations — including public education, city government, non-profits and health care — would come together to discuss which projects in the community they wanted to support with the $22,000 state grant.
"They knew it would be a collaboration so they were excited to get different entities working together working towards healthy initiatives," Subler said. "They were very open to new ideas and excited to see things happen."
Here are some of the projects Manning completed in their first year of funding:
Water, water — everywhere!
One of the primary strategies that 5-2-1-0 promotes is increasing access to drinking water through policy, systems and environmental changes. Manning did this by installing water filling stations at the city park and near the city’s bike trail and providing funding for local child care sites and an elementary school to replace old water fountains with water filling stations.
"The Manning Child Care Center had previously been working towards increasing water consumption. They wanted to do it but didn’t have the funding," Subler said. The 5-2-1-0 funds also helped them purchase water bottles and carriers so that the bottles could more easily be taken with the children on outings to reduce costs and provide healthier options.
The city also purchased nearly 400 water bottles with the 5-2-1-0 logo to distribute at community events rather than candy or other prizes. The city also started a “Busted for Doing Something Healthy" campaign where city workers/officials can hand out water bottles to children caught doing something healthy.
Adding wayfinding to increase walkability
Manning is working on increasing trail connectivity but discovered that some community members or visitors were not aware of just how walkable their community already is.
"They realized that once you get to a certain part in town, you don’t know where the trail will take you so many people will just turn around. However, they could walk through on other trails or sidewalks," Subler said. So the city added wayfinding signage to help people realize "they could go from the campground all the way to downtown on foot."
The city also had four large walkability maps printed to display 15, 30, and 45 minute loops around town which utilize both trails and sidewalks. Additional wayfinding signage is planned to direct community members and visitors to other amenities in town. These walkability efforts support the 5-2-1-0 strategies related to increasing physical activity and active living.
Making health the focus of Kinderfest
Kinderfest is an annual community event in Manning. This year the Manning Regional Healthcare Center brought the 5-2-1-0 message into their activities. "This year they really made (Kinderfest) about health," said Subler.
The hospital hosted healthy challenges, including a trail selfie contest, scavenger hunt and city park challenge. The MRHC booth also offered education to kids and families on how 5-2-1-0 could be incorporated it into their lives.
Learn more about 5-2-1-0 Healthy Choices Count!
Healthy Choices Count! is a health-focused movement for kids that’s under the nationally recognized program, 5-2-1-0. It all starts by encouraging them to eat and play the right way.
This proven, scientific method helps keep kids healthy by focusing on the importance of four habits:
5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables
2 hours or less of screen time (television, computer, video games, phones, etc.)
1 hour or more of physical activity
0 (or reduce) sugar-sweetened beverages - drink more water!
To learn more about how you can get your community, workplace, school, health care clinic or child care site involved in 5-2-1-0, click here.
