SEOW Spring 2023 Newsletter

The Colorado SEOW, with support from The Evaluation Center staff, develops and publishes epidemiological profiles every two years. The profiles were designed to be readily usable to all people working in fields related to substance use. They include many data sources and aim to present the most current and actionable findings. The 2023 profiles include information on seven topics, including Demographics, Mental Health, Alcohol, Cannabis, Opioids, Stimulants, and Tobacco. Additional profiles on Behavioral Health During the Pandemic and Populations with Special Considerations will be published this summer.Click here to view the profiles.

The SEOW first started as a requirement of a grant back in 2014 and since then we no longer have that grant but have been able to continue the work of the group. Our biggest product is the Epi Profiles, which is published every other year in addition to gathering people to learn about other data sources, giving updates, and an in-depth look at topics of interest. We are continually asking ourselves and you all on how we can improve and provide communities with the data that they need to help plan and improve their services. We are listening! After 9 years of the current structure of the SEOW, we are making a change! Starting in the new state fiscal year, which begins on July 1, 2023, we will be shifting the SEOW structure and funding to provide Regional Profiles that align with the 21 CDPHE Health Statistic Regions. This will provide another layer of data that gets closer to the county level for communities and others to reference and use.

In order to accomplish this, we will no longer be coordinating the SEOW general meetings every other month. However, don’t worry, we’ll still have you on our distribution list and we’ll still network, send out newsletters, and have the SEOW website to access the data.

The mission of the SEOW remains the same - provide partners, communities, and policymakers with comprehensive data on the patterns, context, and impact of substance use in Colorado to inform interventions at the local, tribal, state and federal levels.

The purpose of the SEOW is still to increase awareness, understanding and access to data and data publications that address substance use, misuse and related health issues in Colorado.

Thank you for the continued support of the SEOW and we look forward to this change of providing another way to access data at the regional level.

The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) is the largest public health surveillance system in the United States, monitoring a broad range of health-related behaviors among high school students. In 2021, these surveys were conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic underscored the importance of data in understanding changes in youth risk behaviors and addressing the multifaceted public health needs of youths. This overview report describes 2021 YRBSS survey methodology, including sampling, data collection procedures, response rates, data processing, weighting, and analyses.

A full description of YRBSS results and downloadable data are available here.

Rapid Analysis of Drugs: A Pilot Surveillance System To Detect Changes in the Illicit Drug Supply To Guide Timely Harm Reduction Responses - Syringe Services Programs, Maryland, November 2021-August 2022
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report

Among 364 samples from drug paraphernalia collected at eight syringe services programs during November 2021–August 2022 that tested positive for fentanyl or fentanyl analogs, 80% also contained xylazine (an animal sedative). Heroin was rarely detected. To read the full report, here.