Health

Healthcare providers play a key role in promoting healthy behaviours among children, and supporting families on their journey to building healthier habits.

Families place a lot of importance on the recommendations of healthcare providers. By integrating discussions on healthy living behaviours into routine patient-provider interactions, it helps foster a positive relationship where families feel supported in taking steps towards building healthier habits. The Live 5-2-1-0 message is a useful tool to help healthcare providers open up discussions to see where families are at in regards to healthy eating, physical activity, and screen time.Health authorities and healthcare settings – e.g., community health centres, family physician offices, hospitals – are ideal environments for promoting and supporting Live 5-2-1-0. Live 5-2-1-0 resources can be distributed directly to children and families, and the Live 5-2-1-0 framework can help connect together aligning programs and services across the community.

What can the health sector do?

Distribute Live 5-2-1-0 resources (e.g. Tip Sheets for Families, Live 5-2-1-0 Fact Sheets) to pediatric patients and their families during appointments and in waiting rooms
Display the Live 5-2-1-0 message in clinics and health centres (e.g. computer screen savers in clinic rooms, Live 5-2-1-0 Weekly Tip Poster in waiting areas)
Use the Healthy Habits Questionnaire and/or Live 5-2-1-0 message to help engage patients and families in discussion around healthy behaviours (healthy eating, limiting screen time, and increasing physical activity) as part of routine practice at pediatric appointments
Connect families to resources and services in the community that support them finding healthy options
Participate in community events that promote Live 5-2-1-0 and/or support healthy lifestyles (e.g. Doctors of BC Be Active Every Day, Walk with your Doc)

How are partners in the business sector using Live 5-2-1-0 resources?

The following is a list of examples of how different communities have used the Live 5-2-1-0 resources and tools available for download from the Live 5-2-1-0 Resource Hub:

"I'm a Nurse Practitioner in a First Nations community [Non-BC Community]. Our health centre is fortunate to have a large multidisciplinary team. We provide care to a large community (5000+) which include many, many young children and families. Many parents are concerned and requesting help to keep their children healthy. I hope to use these resources as an aid to meet this goal."

Outside of BC community

"I am a public health nurse and plan on making my office bulletin board about screen time for April."

Interior community

"[Name] here from Doctors of BC! We use the Live 5-2-1-0 messaging as part of our Be Active Every Day campaign, I'm checking out some of the new resources."

Vancouver Coastal community

"We are putting them on our computers as screen savers in the exam rooms to change things up a bit and eliminate the posters that people have been seeing for a while."

Interior community

"[Post-Secondary Institution] nursing students putting together a presentation/workshop on Live 5-2-1-0 for pregnant moms using Options, Healthiest Babies Possible."

Fraser Valley community

"Currently implementing the regional childhood obesity prevention strategy in [International Community Name]. We have a steering group set up to tackle childhood obesity, the group is represented by education, health, Maori health, non-governmental organizations and more. These resources will be valuable to inform our communication and engagement with our communities."

Outside of BC

"This is a fantastic handout for kids! As a community health RN I've been looking for something to hand out at an upcoming health fair for kids. This is more engaging for kids and keeps it simple!"

Outside of BC

"We are putting together a patient information handout for a pediatric patient in [Non-BC Community Name]. and think that this program will be an easily understood and implemented plan for many of our patients"

Outside of BC

"I am a physician and I will be speaking to children at a school about healthy habits."

Lower Mainland community

"I am an SLP in [Community Name]. I have many families that I need to explain the importance of reducing screen time. It is nice to have a handout to send home."

Lower Mainland community

How are healthcare providers supporting Live 5-2-1-0?

The following is a list of examples of how stakeholders in different communities have implemented action in their sector to support Live 5-2-1-0:

Healthcare providers in the Fraser Health region share the Live 5-2-1-0 message through posters in doctors’ offices and hospitals, information pamphlets at pre- and post-natal clinics, at one-year vaccination appointments, and during routine visits.
Partners in Chilliwack collaborated with their Division of Family Practice to develop a Family Physician Toolkit that includes tips and resources on Live 5-2-1-0 for physicians, who then share that information with their patients and families.
Fraser Health’s Healthy Schools Public Health Nurses work with local school districts and individual focus schools to promote wellness and empower children and youth in their health. In addition to distributing Live 5-2-1-0 resources, they also integrate the Live 5-2-1-0 message into their presentations given to students.
Healthcare providers in several outpatient clinics at BC Children’s Hospital use Live 5-2-1-0 messaging and resources to support their pediatric patients in managing conditions or recovery following treatment.
The annual Doctors of BC’s Be Active Every Day (BAED) event has doctors and residents visiting local elementary schools to challenge students to be active for at least 60 minutes every day. For the past several years, the Live 5-2-1-0 message has been integrated into the BAED event through doctors’ presentations, event materials, and promotional marketing.