Lyon County is in the middle of the pack when it comes to health outcomes in the latest Kansas Health Institute report. It’s in the lower third when it comes to health factors.
The report announced this week by the Health Institute and Robert Wood Foundation dives into health outcome factors like premature death, poor physical or mental health days and low birth weight as well as a wide range of overall health factors like health-related behaviors, clinical care options, social and economic factors, physical environments and demographics. Lyon County finished 62nd in health outcomes, up from 66th in the 2018 report. It also finished 76th in health factors, up from 81st in the prior report.
There was a wide range of results for area counties:
*Wabaunsee County finished fourth in health outcomes and sixth in health factors
*Chase County was 31st in outcomes and 24th in factors
*Coffey County was 16th in outcomes but 52nd in factors
*Greenwood County was 100th in outcomes and 82nd in factors
*Morris County was 12th in outcomes and 39th in factors
*Osage County was 69th in outcomes and 63rd in factors
Besides the rankings, the report highlighted what the report called a severe cost burden for housing and related effects on children in poverty. In that demographic, 46 percent of children in poverty live in households that spend at least half their incomes on housing, limiting money available for medical needs or even healthy food.
The relationship between housing costs, race and health was also discussed. Nearly 20 percent of black-led households spend more than half their income on housing, almost double the percentage of white-led households.
Johnson County was ranked the healthiest county in Kansas. Chatauqua County was the least healthy.
Click here for a link to the report and a county-by-county statistical breakdown.
