History and Background

The North Dakota 5 Plus 5 Program, modeled after the Iowa program of the same name, began in 1998 with recognition of the first four 5 Plus 5 Communities.  The program has grown each year, and in 2005, eighteen communities are recognized for their efforts to improve health through the encouragement of increased physical activity and consumption of fruits and vegetables.  It is estimated that the community coalitions participating in the 5 Plus 5 Program have the potential to reach 74 percent of the state's population.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommendations include the advice to "Choose a variety of fruits and vegetables each day".  The guidelines for the national 5 A Day Program encourage five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables each day.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health and the American College of Sports Medicine recommend that every American adult accumulate 30 minutes or more of moderate physical activity over the course of most (five or more) days of the week.

North Dakotans are falling short of these recommendations. 

Findings of the 2003 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) show that:

	22% of North Dakota adults eat 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day.
	49% of North Dakota adults report that they participate in regular physical activity.
	63% of North Dakota adults are overweight or obese -- up from 47% in 1990.

According to the North Dakota 2005 Youth Risk Behavior Survey:

	17.6% of North Dakota's middle school students eat 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day.  This is a decrease from 23.5% in 2003.
	14% of North Dakota's high school students eat 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day.  This is a decrease from 17% in 2003.
	Only about 31% of North Dakota's seventh through eighth graders and 37% of twelfth graders attend daily physical education courses.
	28% of North Dakota seventh through eighth graders and 24% of ninth through twelfth graders are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight.  This is an increase of 4% for ninth through twelfth graders while seventh through eighth graders remained about the same from 2003.

For More Information Contact:
Karen Ehrens
5+5 Communities Program Coordinator
North Dakota Department of Health
Telephone: 701.223.2616
FAX: 701.223.2616
E-mail: karen@ehrensconsulting.com

5 + 5 Communities

Seventeen community coalitions are recognized by the 5 + 5 Communities Program including ...

Send mail to karen@ehrensconsulting.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2005 5+5 Communities Program
Last modified: 01/12/09