Wallace: What could make Weld County the healthiest place to live?

Before attempting community health improvements, it's important to first understand the determinants of health.

These determinants range from income, to education, to geographic location and even health behaviors. In Weld County, the health department conducts a comprehensive Community Health Assessment every three years. In late 2016, a survey was sent to 8,500 random county residents. The survey asks a variety of health-related questions and helps us better understand the determinants of health. Listed below are the Top 10 takeaways from the assessment:

» 1. Eighty-six percent of adults say they are in good to excellent health, but our obesity rate increased to 31 percent and it's higher than the state rate of 22 percent.

» 2. More Weld County residents (93 percent) had some type of health insurance in 2016. However, 15 percent of very low-income residents remain uninsured. Costs and scheduling barriers still are major barriers to accessing health care. More than five in 10 residents said the cost of health care was a reason for not getting needed treatment.

» 3. People are engaging in healthy behaviors but there is still room for improvement, especially in terms of dietary habits. Only 2 in 10 residents eat the minimum recommended servings of two fruit and three vegetables every day.

» 4. Residents are not immune to experiencing mental health conditions. In 2016, about 2 in 10 residents said they thought they needed mental health care or counseling in the past 12 months.

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» 5. People engage in risky behaviors like smoking and drinking. About 1 in 6 adults use one or more tobacco products. Binge drinking is high in Weld County at 31 percent, compared to 18 percent statewide. About 10 percent of residents use marijuana; use among 18-to-34-year-olds has nearly doubled from about 8 percent in 2013 to about 15 percent in 2016.

» 6. Distracted driving is also a problem with 76 percent, saying they talk on the phone while driving and 41 percent saying they text or email while driving.

» 7. Health status varies by where we live, our income and education level and other factors. One health variable is frequent mental distress which is defined as reporting 14 or more days in the past month when mental health is not good. Rates of frequent mental distress in the southeast part of Weld County are three times higher than rates in northern Weld. Over 20 percent of residents living in poverty report frequent mental distress compared to 8 percent of residents not living in poverty.

» 8. Over 1,300 residents provided comments and the overwhelming theme was to improve the bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure; build more parks and recreation facilities; and having better access to and preservation of open spaces.

» 9. About 3 in 10 children are overweight or obese, 6 in 10 do not meet physical activity guidelines and about 1 in 7 have had mental or behavioral problems, according to their parents.

» 10. Many households are struggling to make ends meet. In 2016, almost 40 percent of 4-person households with children made $65,000 or less, which is the minimum income needed to be self-sufficient (e.g., pay for housing, food, transportation, childcare, healthcare, taxes) in Weld County.

While Weld County has its challenges, it's also a great place to live and work. A significant asset of the county is its people and a willingness to create partnerships. On Wednesday, we held a diverse gathering of nearly 200 people at the Thriving Weld Summit in downtown Greeley to explore how to move forward with making Weld the healthiest place. Our success won't occur overnight, but through effective partnerships with and between a collective group, we can make significant improvements over the coming years. By 2020, Weld County is expected to gain an additional 37,000 residents. And by 2040, the population is expected to double to 600,000 residents. Our collective ideas, energy and partnerships are needed more than ever. Together, we can make Weld County the healthiest place to live, learn, work and play.

— Dr. Mark E. Wallace is the executive director for the Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment.