5 Min Read
Mar 29, 2023
By
Kansas Health Institute
The 2023 County Health Rankings, released on March 29 by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute (UWPHI), are available at www.countyhealthrankings.org.
To support state and local health improvement efforts, the Kansas Health Institute has produced individual county profiles that include a five-year comparison of County Health Rankings data and the “drivers,” or measures with the greatest impact, on the rankings in each county.
The green map shows Kansas’s health outcome rankings by county. The map is divided into four quartiles with less color intensity indicating better health outcomes. Specific county ranks can be found in the Kansas state overview.
Find detailed information on the measures and their associated weights here. You can also learn about how rankings are calculated here.
The blue map shows Kansas’s health factor rankings by county. The map is divided into four quartiles with less color intensity indicating better health factors. Specific county ranks can be found in the Kansas state overview.
Find detailed information on the measures and their associated weights here. You can also learn about how rankings are calculated here.
The following was issued for immediate release by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, March 29, 2023
12:01 a.m. EDT
RANKINGS CONTACTS
Theresa Freed
Kansas Health Institute
tfreed@khi.org
(785) 233-5443
Angela Robertson
Burness
arobertson@burness.com
(336) 504-5110
Madison, Wis. — Johnson County ranks the healthiest in Kansas and Edwards is the least healthy county in the state, according to new County Health Rankings data from the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute (UWPHI). The Rankings are available at www.countyhealthrankings.org.
For more than a decade, Rankings’ data, evidence, guidance and stories have broadened the nation’s understanding about the multiple factors that shape health. This year, we find that counties with well-resourced civic infrastructure have higher rates of high school completion, higher household incomes, less income inequality and lower rates of children in poverty and uninsured adults. In these communities, people also tend to live longer.
“Our findings reveal that people and places thrive when all residents have the chance to participate in their communities,” said Sheri Johnson, principal investigator of County Health Rankings & Roadmaps and director of the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. “History shows that we can remake systems and structures through civic participation that are beneficial to all.”
This year’s County Health Rankings looked at a series of factors to measure civic infrastructure and participation in counties including access to parks, school funding adequacy, broadband, voter turnout and self-reported census participation. To see how your state fares on these measures of civic health – the opportunities we have to use our voice in shaping our communities – visit https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/explore-health-rankings/kansas?year=2023.
“The annual County Health Rankings, and the data used to build them, have been important tools for communities that want to identify and improve the many interconnected factors that fuel health,” said Kari Bruffett, president and CEO of the Kansas Health Institute. “The findings of the 2023 national report highlight the importance of civic health to thriving people and communities. The report also provides actionable data, researched strategies and guidance that can help community leaders work to improve the health of all Kansans.”
The Rankings offer several solutions to build civic health, including investing in libraries, community centers and other public spaces to encourage in-person connections; expanding civic knowledge and skills through youth leadership programs and implementing voter registration and turnout initiatives to expand representation in the democratic process.
In addition to these solutions, the program’s What Works for Health offers more than 400 evidence-informed strategies to help communities on their health improvement journey. Each strategy is rated for its effectiveness and likely impact on health disparities. Additionally, the Rankings website has improved features to make it more accessible. Data are now easier to find, use and understand with detailed descriptions that offer helpful context about counties with information such as links to identify the Indigenous nations native to the land.
Visit countyhealthrankings.org to learn more.
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The County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, a program of the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute (UWPHI) with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, provides local communities with data on more than 90 health-influencing factors such as housing, education, jobs and access to quality health care. The Rankings are available at www.countyhealthrankings.org.
The University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute advances health and well-being for all by developing and evaluating interventions and promoting evidence-based approaches to policy and practice at the local, state and national levels. The Institute works across the full spectrum of factors that contribute to health and equity. The Institute leads the work on the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps. For more information, visit http://uwphi.pophealth.wisc.edu.
The Kansas Health Institute supports effective policymaking through nonpartisan research, education and engagement. KHI believes evidence-based information, objective analysis and civil dialogue enable policy leaders to be champions for a healthier Kansas. Established in 1995 with a multiyear grant from the Kansas Health Foundation, KHI is a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization based in Topeka.
