Obesity Task Force –Update as of February 21, 2013
The Obesity Task Force Final Report was presented to the County Council on October 2, 2012. A copy of that report can be found on the Healthy Harford website Since that date, a tremendous amount of work has been accomplished. Below is a recap of the progress that has been made.
Recommendations in the Final Report of the County Council appointed Obesity Task Force were:
1. Encourage access to healthy food
2. Support school wellness
3. Implement the Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan
4. Encourage multimodal and active transportation
5. Encourage changes that emphasize active movement
6. Implement the 2013 Land Preservation Parks and Recreation Plan
7. Create and employ a unified message of healthy eating and active living
8. Establish healthy designation programs
9. Sustain Obesity Task Force initiatives by establishing a Wellness Commission
1. Encourage access to healthy foods - On July 18, 2012, Harford County Department of Community Services (DCS) held an Access to Food Community Needs Café with 23 participants from a variety of local provider agencies. This group agreed that more attention to food access was needed in the northern part of the county. Suggestions to address this need include developing a county wide mobile food pantry for low income, disabled and elderly residents. Other ideas were to form provider cooperatives to allow resource sharing among existing programs and to engage volunteers in delivering food. Results from this meeting were incorporated into the Community Services Consolidated Plan for the next five years. DCS has just finished their Community Review Board process for grant applicants and is looking at those grant proposals that are focused on the food access issues identified.
2. Support School Wellness- In 2004, Congress passed the Child Nutrition and Women Infants and Children (WIC) Reauthorization Act (Sec. 204 of P.L. 108-205). This act required by law that all local education agencies participating in the National School Lunch Program or other child nutrition programs create local wellness policies. The legislation placed the responsibility of developing a wellness policy at the local level so the individual needs of each local education agency can be addressed.
The Harford County School Wellness Plan (HCSWP) was adopted in 2006 and amended in 2009.
Assessment of School Wellness Plan:The HCSWPis a broad based plan that allows for flexible interpretation; 2009 amendments strengthened some language, i.e. changing ‘should’ to ‘shall’. Real life application:While there is still room for additional guidance to support a healthy active school environment, great strides have been made in supporting staff wellness, improving access to drinking water during the school day, and encouraging and championing individual school wellness goals. New guidelines governing not using food as a reward, encouraging healthy classroom/party snacks, and the availability and sale of food of low nutritional value during school hours and at school eventsare not yet uniformly adhered to throughout the district.
Highlights:
- No food or beverage of minimally nutritional value shall be sold at schools from 12:01 a.m. until dismissal. – ‘minimally nutritional value’ is defined as items such as chewing gum, hard candies, etc. It does not include items such as Fritos, candy bars, Funions, etc.
- All a la carte items sold by the Food and Nutrition Services Department shall meet nutritional requirements approved by the Superintendent. – A la carte items are not governed by USDA federal regulations. As the school lunch program is a self-sustaining program, a la carte items are used to generate revenue to support the program. A la carte items often include snack foods such as chips/fried snacks, cookies, ice cream, rice crispy treats, etc. – see Newly Proposed Snack Guidelines.
- Vending machines can sell soda and other sugar sweetened beverages, but they must be locked during school hours unless the machines are only accessible to adults. Soda and other sugar sweetened beverages are accessible in schools after school dismissal to both students and the general public.
- For food that is brought into the classrooms as snacks or sold as part of fund raising,nutritional choices are “encouraged”, but not required.
Changes with 2009 amendment:
- Withholding of recess shall not be used to punish students for misconduct.
- Schools/staff shall refrain from using food or beverages at any time as either reward or punishment for academic or instructional achievement, performance, effort or activity in any respect or for behavior modification or punishment.
- Board will plan and implement activities, policies and/or programs that support efforts by staff, school and systemic efforts to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Newly proposed Snack Guidelines - On Friday, February 1, 2013, the USDA issued the new “Smart Snacks in School” proposal promoting the availability of snacks with whole grains, fruits, low fat dairy, vegetables and protein, while reducing sugar, fat, and sodium. Upon review, the new rules may cause the removal of somecurrently available snacks from the al la carte list, but overall they do not seem to be much more stringent than the guidelines the Harford County Public Schools (HCPS) currently has in place. In addition, the newly proposed guidelinesdo not affect popular ‘junk food’ venues such as parties and celebrations, school fundraisers, or food served outside the normal school day at after school or sporting events. A copy of the proposed guidelines can be accessed at
In 2012, the Harford County Health Department (HCHD) was awarded a Community Transformation Grant (CTG) to help make transformative changes in the community for improved health through better nutrition, increased physical activity, and decreased tobacco use.
One of the target areas of this grant is School Wellness. Aninnovative public health/school system collaboration is being piloted at three Harford County elementary schools (Edgewood, Havre de Grace and William Paca/Old Post) which will serve as a model program for promoting school wellness in the rest of the county.
In addition, each of these elementary schools is partnered with public health students from three area high schools: Edgewood, Fallston, and North Harford who will help support and promote the elementary school’s wellness initiatives. Integrating this partnership into the high school public health curriculum will create a stronger program, support student lead interactions, provide student-to-student mentoring, add real life experience to the high school public health curriculum, and create long term sustainability for school wellness programs after the CTG funding ends.
Projects to date include:
- Providing free wellness screenings for school staff to encouragethem to focus on healthy eating, active living, and establishing personal wellness goals, and serve as role models for their students.
- Providing free access to fresh pleasant tasting water to both students and staff throughout the day.
- Engaging parents in wellness initiatives by providing nutrition and physical activity information during conference days. Giveaways included: MyPlate plates, placemats, and healthy snacks.
- Promoting Family Wellness Nights at each of the partnering schools which will include physical activities, cooking demonstrations, nutrition lessons, family centered healthy lifestyle booths, health screenings, and bicycle helmet fittings and giveaways.
- Encouraging student and staff movement programs such as walking, Zumba, and dancing.
- Empowering public health students from seven of the Harford County public high schools to develop public health awareness projects that creatively inform, educate, and engage students, parents, and the community about the importance of healthy lifestyles.
The encouragement of walking and cycling to school varies tremendously from school to school. Some schools have developed innovative ways to encourage and support cycling, while many others do not provide any encouragement at all. Red Pump elementary has the strongest bike/pedestrian program in the county. A large percentage of the student body walk or bike to school, and even the buses drop bus riding students further away from the school front doors so they can “walk” to school as well.
According to the 2010 Bicyclist Survey, 60% of respondents said they would consider allowing their children to walk or bike to school if there were dedicated bike lanes and secure bike racks available. To that end, Healthy Harford and the HCHDpartnered with the Office of Sustainability, HCPS, and Parks and Recreation, to improve cycling facilities by installing new bike racks at area public schools, county government facilities, and Parks and Recreation sights. Three additional bike racks will be gifted – one to each municipality – as a goodwill gesture to improve cycling facilities in their area. Installation and maintenance of the racks are the responsibility of the recipients.
Child Care Centers have also been part of the CTG comprehensive effort to improve child wellness, reduce obesity, and increase physical activity. Educational curriculum DVD’s were used as incentives to encourage child care providers to attend continuing education courses on childhood physical education and nutrition.
Child care providers were also encouraged to sign the Let’s Move! Healthy Kids pledge to encourage healthy changes in their centers.
3. Implement the Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan– In 2010, Healthy Harford partnered with the Department of Planning and Zoning (DPZ) to conduct the 2010 Bicyclist Survey. In this survey, 42% of respondents reported that they would cycle to work if it was safer to do so.
With the 2013 Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan, the impact of the built environment on health is integrated for the first time in a Harford County planning document. Healthy Harford is working diligently via the internet, social media, and public venues to encourage public participation in reviewing this document and to help promote public support for the plan’s goals.
4. Encourage multimodal and active transportation
Recommendations in the Obesity Task Force Final report include:
The County should review its Development Regulations to ensure that new development and redevelopment, where appropriate, support accessibility by walking, biking or transit. Road improvement projects should be designed to incorporate “Complete Street” elements, such as bike lanes and pedestrian walkways to encourage alternative means of transportation. Presently Harford County does not have a ‘Complete Streets’ guidance for county roads, but the idea of improved pedestrian and bike transportation safety is addressed in the DPZ Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan, as well as the MD 22 Corridor report (
The second barrier to active transit is risk. According to the Baltimore Sun, there were 12 fatal crashes in Harford County between January and June, 2012. Of the 15 individuals who died in these accidents, four were pedestrians. The state has also seen an uptick in the number of pedestrian deaths between 2011 and 2012 (Maryland StateStat, 2012). As one strategy to address risk, the Task Force recommends support of a “Street Smart” campaign that will be brought to Harford County by the Baltimore Metropolitan Council ( through the Health Department’s Community Transformation Grant. The campaign uses mass media to raise awareness of the responsibilities of motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists to share the road. – A contract has been signed to bring the Street Smart Campaign to Harford County this spring. Within the county, however, there continues to be a conflict between the desire to improve roads to facilitate vehicular traffic, and bike and pedestrian safety i.e. removing shoulders to accommodate turn lanes, removing obstacles and widening roads to enable cars to travel faster, and removing stop signs and four-way intersections and replacing them withtraffic circles all accommodate vehicles, but create safety issues for cyclists and pedestrians.
The term “connectivity” focuses on the linkages between people and their desired destinations.
In order to encourage walking and bicycling as forms of active transportation, the road,
sidewalk and/or trail connections must be in place. The current built environment often does
not meet the needs of the public to use these modes of transportation. – The issue of connectivity is addressed in the Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan. Department of Public Works has worked with the DPZ to address areas of missing sidewalks and making existing sidewalks ADA accessible. Connectivity, consistent signage and crosswalks markings, and crossing signals continue to remain an issue in Harford County.
Due to an increase in ridership, the Harford Transit Link will be adding eight new 30 passenger buses in 2013. According to a Harford Transit Link press release “More people than ever are utilizing Harford County’s bus system, Harford Transit LINK, due in part to an increase in Harford County’s overall population and the growing number of senior citizens and Harford Community College students relying on bus services, as well”. According to the photo included with the press release, the new buses will continue the Harford Transit Link tradition of providing bike racks on the front of the bus.
5. Encourage changes that emphasize active movement – This recommendation focuses on creating visible changes to the environment such as more visible/accessible stairways in buildings and increased signage for paths and walking/biking alternatives. Communication regarding active movement facilities in the county has been initiated via the Healthy Harford website and Facebook page, but additional venues and support are needed to truly make an impact.
6. Implement the 2013 Land Preservation Parks and Recreation Plan – The 2013 Plan is currently in draft format and is up for public review. A public meeting outlining and explaining the proposed plan took place February 19th from 6:30 to 8:30 at the McFaul Center in Bel Air. The plan can be viewed at and public comments will be accepted until February 27th. Recommendations from the Obesity Task Force to recognize the health impact of the built environment have been integrated into planning documents from both the Department of Parks and Recreation and the Department of Planning and Zoning. Both departments have also worked together to emphasize bike and pedestrian linkages to frequently accessed areas within the community, i.e. schools, retail centers, libraries, parks, etc. In addition, the Parks and Recreation plan acknowledges paths within the community not only as means of recreation, but as means of transportation as well.
7. Create and Employ a Unified Message of Healthy Eating and Active LivingOn October 13, 2012the 501c3 Healthy Harford hosted Healthy Harford Day in partnership with the Bel Air Farmer’s Market and members of the Healthy Harford coalition. Over 300 people attended that chilly morning to visit booths set up by 26 Healthy Harford coalition members as well as attend the farmer’s market; enjoy free Yoga, Pilates, and Zumba classes; watch a cooking demonstration, receive free wellness checks, learn safe cycling in a bike rodeo, experience valet bike parking, and receive free bike helmets. Health Officer Susan Kelly, Harford County Councilwoman Mary Ann Lisanti, Bel Air Town Councilman Dr. Rob Reier, and County Administrator Mary Chance were featured presenters. Radio personality and organic farmer Steve Rouse was the Master of Ceremony.
Healthy Harford has contracted with the Harford County marketing and public relations firm A. Bright Idea (ABI) to create a Strategic Marketing Plan to help craft and disseminate a unified message of healthy eating and active living for our community. Members from the Community Engagement Workgroup (CEW), met with ABI on February 5th to discuss goals, target audience, community surveys, and focus groups. A meeting summary and next steps document from ABI is expected shortly and will be shared with the CEW. Afinal Strategic Marking plan is expected by June 2013.
8. Establish Healthy Designation Programs
Healthy Restaurant Designation – Healthy Harford staff is working with Registered Dietician Jayne Klein of Klein’s Shoprite to develop guidelines for a Healthy Restaurant Designation.
Current draft guidelines include:
Each restaurant must have at least three entree items with
- less than 750 calories
- no more than 30% of the calories from fat, 10% from saturated fat,
- no more than 850 mg of sodium
- 3 oz. of lean protein (lean meat, seafood, beans, legumes or equivalent)
- a vegetable and/or fruit, and
- no deep fried items
- a low fat salad dressing option
- 1/2 size portion from the adult menu as an option for children
- the ability to substitute a vegetable or fruit in place of fried potatoes (french fries, hash browns, home fries, etc.).
In order to encourage participation, the Harford County Health Department will offer a limited number of scholarships fora Servesafefood handling food manager certification course for area restaurant managers.
Healthy Pediatricians – Healthy Harford staff is working with pediatrician Dr. Rebecca Hartwig to develop education materials and a toolbox for pediatricians to help them address obesity issues with their patients and patient’s families.
Healthy Families – Healthy Harford staff is partnering with the Harford County Public Library to develop a Healthy Families designation. Talks are preliminary, but the program will focus on education, personal milestones, and support resources.
9. Sustain Obesity Task Force Initiatives by Establishing a Wellness Commission – The establishment of the Wellness Commission is integral to the success of continuing community wellness initiatives. There is concern that without the focus of a dedicated Commission that the goals and objectives of the Obesity Task Force will lose momentum and the opportunity for real and sustained community wellness improvements and policy change will be lost. Talks are presently underway to determine the best way to integrate the Commission into county government.
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Tobacco Legislation – Healthy Harford, the HCHD, Upper Chesapeake Health, Harford County Government, and members of the Local Health Improvement Coalition (LHIC) Tobacco Workgroup have been working to reduce the negative health impacts of tobacco use on our community. Depending on what data set is examined, tobacco use rates in Harford County are either higher than or on par with the Maryland state rate. Either way, the percentage of smokers is still higher than the 2014 target rates set by the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Some of the new trends in tobacco use include cigars, cigarillos, flavored and scented cigars, and Hookah use, many of which target young people. The rise in youth tobacco use accompanies a corollary rise in newborn exposure to tobacco smoke.
A Hookah bar is already located in the city of Havre de Grace, and in the fall of 2012 the Town of Bel Air passed zoning legislation that would permit the opening of a Hookah bar in that municipality. On January 10, 2013, members of the community, including political representatives of the three Harford County municipalities, were invited to a Regional Tobacco Meeting hosted by the Director of the Maryland Resource Center for Quitting Use and Initiation of Tobacco (MDQuit), Dr. Carlo DiClemente ( and Director of the Legal Resource Center for Tobacco Regulation, Litigation & Advocacy (LRC), Kathleen Hoke J.D., to learn about tobacco use, tobacco legislation, and legislative powers available to local communities. InFebruary 2013,the Deputy Director of the LRC, Rita Vera J.D., attended the Tobacco Workgroup meeting to present on the process and benefits of tobacco policy change.
The work of the Obesity Task Force and its workgroup subcommittees is fundamental to moving Harford County towards the Healthy Harford goal of helping make Harford County the healthiest community in Maryland. It takes a multi-pronged approach from a variety of different sectors to achieve the pivotal changes necessary to create a community in which health and wellbeing is a part of the public conversation, the default in policy decision making, a thread in the social fabric, and ultimately just part of business as usual.
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