Public Health in the Rockies 2026

Background / Purpose:
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted multiple aspects of community health, including mental health, healthcare access, physical activity, and household economic stability. Although data collected in 2022 do not reflect current conditions in 2026, they provide an important early post-pandemic baseline to identify local public health priorities and populations requiring continued monitoring. This study used the 2022 Larimer County Community Health Survey to describe key community health needs and inform potential areas for local intervention.

Methods:
A weighted descriptive analysis was conducted using 2,700 adult respondents from the 2022 Larimer County Community Health Survey. Survey weights were applied to improve representativeness. Main outcomes included frequent mental distress, diagnosed mental or psychosocial condition, food insecurity, physical inactivity, skipped dental or medical care during the pandemic period, and healthcare access barriers. Weighted prevalence estimates and 95% confidence intervals were calculated overall and stratified by age, gender, income, education, and food insecurity status.

Results:
In weighted analysis, 38.5% of respondents reported a diagnosed mental or psychosocial condition, 38.7% were physically inactive, 31.8% skipped dental or medical care during the pandemic period, and 25.5% reported frequent mental distress. Adults younger than 65 years, women, low-income residents, and food-insecure individuals consistently showed higher burden across multiple outcomes. Residents at or below 100% of the federal poverty level had substantially higher prevalence of food insecurity (37.6% vs. 2.3%), physical inactivity (60.0% vs. 34.5%), skipped care (51.5% vs. 28.1%), and mental distress (41.0% vs. 20.0%) compared with residents above 400% FPL.

Implications:
Findings highlight important early post-pandemic public health needs in Larimer County. Results support targeted interventions focused on mental health, food security, healthcare access, and low-cost physical activity programs, particularly for younger adults, women, low-income, and food-insecure populations. Comparison with 2025 Health Survey may help assess whether these differences persisted or changed over time.