Report: Weld County residents say they are sicker, have more mental health issues than in 2019
Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment releases new community health survey findings.
By Kelly Ragan
Weld County residents say they are sicker and have more mental health issues than in 2019, according to a community survey conducted by the Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment.
The department conducts the community survey every three years to help meet the most pressing health care needs of the community.
Survey highlights
Chronic conditions more common
The prevalence of chronic conditions, including anxiety, diabetes, high cholesterol and obesity, has increased.
Anxiety: 22.3% of adults reported they had been told by a healthcare professional they have anxiety, up from 20.6% in 2019
Diabetes: 11.4% reported having diabetes, up from 10.1% in 2019
High cholesterol rates: 28.2% reported high cholesterol rates, up from 27.5% in 2019
Overweight/obesity: 34.6% reported being overweight and 34.1% reported being obese, meaning nearly 70% of Weld residents reported being either overweight or obese.
More than half of Weld adults use medications to manage chronic conditions
The survey asked about medication use in 2022 related to diabetes, high blood pressure, chronic pain, depression, anxiety and other behavioral or mental health conditions.
54.5% report taking at least one medication
Just over 7% report taking two or more medications
Weld adults report being physically active but aren’t meeting recommendations for fruit and vegetable consumption
According to Dietary Guidelines for Americans, adults should be chowing down two servings of fruit and three servings of veggies per day.
19.9% of Weld adults reported consuming the minimum recommendation, down from 27% in 2019
77.7% report regularly participating in physical activity, up from 74.6% in 2019
Young adults report more mental health distress
Younger adults between the ages of 18-34 reported more mental health distress than other age groups, such as those 35-54 and 55 and older. According to the county, folks in the 18-34 age group usually report being more worried about financial issues such as having enough money to buy nutritious meals, paying for medical bills, accessing insurance or medical care and paying for childcare than do other age groups.
22.6% of younger adults reported frequent mental health distress, up from 19.4% in 2019
15% of adults 35-54 reported frequent mental health distress
9.4% of adults 55 and older reported frequent mental health distress
More reported being uninsured
According to the survey, about 18,000 adults across Weld County don’t have health insurance. The uninsured rate was higher among younger adults, Latino residents, and those with less than a high school diploma/GED.
7.9% uninsured overall, up from 6.5% in 2019
23.4% among Hispanic and Latino residents
12.5% among those with less than a high school diploma/GED
Most residents reported high levels of confidence in vaccines
88% reported confidence in vaccines when asked about the importance of vaccines for themselves, their community, and vaccine effectiveness
Vaccine confidence was highest among female residents at 90.7% and among Latino residents at 93.6%.
Weld residents concerned about air quality
The survey asked about a variety of environmental health topics. Generally, younger residents, female residents, Latino residents, lower income residents, and residents who live in the Greeley/Evans area reported being most concerned about environmental topics.
62.2% of residents reported they were moderately or very concerned about air quality
50.8% reported they were moderately or very concerned about hazardous waste disposal
51.8% reported they were moderately or very concerned about pollution due to oil and gas
49.1% reported they were moderately or very concerned about pollution from road vehicles
Housing costs are big concern
15% said more than one family lived in their home in 2022, up from 11% in 2019
44.3% of residents are worried, at least rarely, about paying rent or mortgage and utility payments
About 33% overall say they spend more than 30% of income on housing
Among renters, 42.3% say they spend more than 30% of income on housing, compared to 29.9% of homeowners
For more information on the survey and for the full report, go to https://www.weld.gov/Government/Departments/Health-and-Environment/Data-and-Reports/Community-Health-Surveys/2022-Community-Health-Survey.