WCDPHE launches Leading Health Indicator Dashboard

Published on October 31, 2022

Weld County, Colorado — The Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment (WCDPHE) launched today its new Leading Health Indicator Dashboard. The dashboard tracks 11 key health issues, ranging from the top causes of death to substance abuse to housing and population growth. The purpose of the dashboard is to bring attention to emerging and chronic health issues facing Weld County.

“Some health trends have improved, while others have worsened,” said Cindy Kronauge, MPH, PhD, Senior Health Data Specialist at WCDPHE. “For example, our leading causes of death, which account for a large proportion of all deaths, are heart disease and cancer and are trending downward, whereas diabetes and obesity rates are increasing.”

Highlights from the dashboard include:

• Obesity rate in Weld continues to rise. The current adult overweight or obese rate when combined is 68.7%.
• Diabetes rate (as diagnosed by a health care provider) is 11.4%.
• Smoking rate for adults has declined to 11%, down from 13% in 2013.
• Reported sexually transmitted infections have nearly doubled for syphilis and gonorrhea over the past 5 years.
• Anxiety and depression rates are increasing.
• Cancer and heart disease death rates have declined.
• Infant mortality rate for Hispanics is double (6.1 per 1,000 live births) compared to non-Hispanics (2.9 per 1,000 live births).
• Uninsured rate, while hitting its lowest point of 6.5% in 2019, has increased to 7.9%.

Weld County health officials acknowledge that the strength of public health is bringing people together. “We can’t address these complex health issues in a vacuum. It takes a strategic partnership with health care, community groups, education, and the business community,” said Eric Aakko, MS, MCHES, Director of Health Education, Communication, and Planning at WCDPHE. “With good data, we can begin to make informed decisions.”