9 - Promote Healthy Sleep (At least 9 hours, more for younger children)
Educate kids, parents, & caregivers about the importance of adequate sleep for good health:
- Children 5 to 12 years should get 9 to 11 hours per night
- Adolescents & teens should get 8-1/2 to 9-1/2 hours per night
5 - Promote Healthy Eating (Target of 5 fruits and vegetables a day)
Educate kids, parents, & caregivers about eating five servings of fruits and vegetables per day:
- Serve a variety of foods, increase access to fruits and vegetables for snacks, limit access to processed sugars.
- Ensure that all food, including vending machines, celebrations, snack bars, include healthy food and beverage options.
- Inform youth about healthy (and unhealthy) food choices.
- Consider starting a garden or offering healthy cooking classes.
2 - Limit Screen Time (Target of 2 hours or less outside of school)
Educate kids, parents, & caregivers about the importance of limiting screen time outside of school to no more than two hours per day:
- Offer programs that promote physical activity and require youth to be active.
- Limit the amount of screen time youth have during youth programs.
1 - Promote Physical Activity (Target of at least 1 hour per day)
Educate kids, parents, & caregivers about the need for one hour of physical activity per day:
- Provide opportunities for disabled youth to play sports with adapted rules/equipment.
- Encourage parents to have a positive attitude about their child's involvement in physical activities.and to set a positive example.
- Assure youth are safely participating in activities that are appropriate for their abilities by coordinating with physicians, parents, coaches, P.E. teachers, and occupational/physical therapists.
0 - Promote Healthy Beverages (Target of 0 sugar-added beverages per day)
Educate kids, parents, & caregivers about the importance of drinking zero beverages with sugar added for good health:
- Serve/sell only water, low or non-fat milk,or 100% fruit juice.
How You Can Help
Organizations for Youth with Disabilities
Leaders you can positively impact the health of youth with disabilities. Tip the scales for better health by spreading the 9-5-2-1-0 for Health message and supporting the 9-5-2-1-0 for Health in your program activities. Here are some ideas for getting started.
