Public Health in the Rockies 2026

In 2025, the Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment conducted its triennial Community Health Survey (CHS) to identify local health trends and inform public health programming. A random, mail-based survey was distributed across Weld County, and 2,802 completed responses were weighted to represent the county population.

Findings revealed an increase in smokeless tobacco/nicotine use and highlighted disparities in tobacco/nicotine use across Weld County. In 2025, 7.5% of residents reported using smokeless tobacco/nicotine products (chew, pouches), double the rate reported in the 2022 CHS. Higher rates of smokeless tobacco/nicotine use were reported among residents aged 18–34 (12.4%) compared to residents aged 35–54 (7.9%) and residents aged 55 and older (3.1%). Additionally, smokeless tobacco/nicotine use among young adults aged 18–34 nearly quadrupled from 3.4% in the 2022 CHS to 12.4% in 2025. Smokeless tobacco/nicotine use among men in Weld County was double the statewide rate reported in the 2024 BRFSS. The survey further identified significantly higher cigarette and e-cigarette use among Hispanic/Latino residents and residents living at or below 138% of the FPL.

These findings directly informed Weld County Tobacco Education and Prevention Program (WCTEPP) strategies and program planning. In response, WCTEPP expanded culturally responsive cessation outreach, increased in-school education efforts focused on emerging nicotine products for ages 9 and older, and developed new initiatives to address alternative-to-suspension needs in school and community settings in partnership with law enforcement, parents/trusted adults, and youth.

This presentation will explore how local survey data was translated into tobacco prevention and cessation programming in Weld County, a community that includes both rural and urban municipalities. Participants will have the opportunity to model an alternative-to-suspension approach in response to local county data trends.