June 17, 2025
Community Health Corner
In America’s Health Rankings report for 2024, Kansas is ranked number 28 of the 50 states in overall health of its residents. We need to raise that ranking which was once in the top 10! K-State Extension is working with others to improve everyone’s health, and we want all to join the effort. From urban, metro, suburban, rural and frontier locations, Extension works in partnership with communities to deliver meaningful and relevant programs and initiatives to keep health closer to home. The following resources help us improve well-being, achieve Healthy People 2030 objectives and follow recommendations included in the National Extension Framework for Health Equity and Well-being.
June is Men’s Health Awareness Month: Men's Health Awareness Month is an annual observance each June founded to highlight the importance of health and wellbeing, for men and boys. Men are often less likely to visit the doctor, but regular checkups and preventive care can make a life-saving difference. This month, encourage men to schedule a checkup or screening with a trusted health care provider. An interactive resource for locating a provider is here. Information about prevalent diseases and conditions among men include:
KHC Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes
CDC Cardiovascular Disease Program Toolkit
KHC Cancer Screening and Prevention
CDC Colorectal Cancer Control Program
CDC Prostate Cancer Resources to Share
Coffee Intake and Healthy Aging in Women: The results of a large national study of women published in Current Developments in Nutrition, 2025, suggest that moderate caffeine intake may be associated with a higher likelihood of healthy aging in women. Specifically, women who consumed the most caffeine (around seven cups of coffee per day) had odds of healthy aging 13 percent higher than those who consumed less. Researchers analyzed the health and habits of 47,513 women to assess the connection between various caffeinated beverages and aging. Every 80 milligrams of caffeine from coffee (roughly the amount in one small cup) daily was associated with a 2% to 5% higher chance of healthy aging. This benefit began to wane after about five small cups per day. Even after the researchers accounted for other health-related behaviors, including a healthier diet, higher physical activity levels, and lower body mass index (BMI), coffee–healthy aging association remained statistically significant. Harvard University has information about the health benefits of coffee consumption for women and men here. (Disclosure: Readers should know that Elaine Johannes is a lover of coffee, and has chosen to elevate the results of this study.)
Early Childhood Research and Parenting Videos: Partners at KUMC Telehealth ROCKS have produced short bite-sized videos to explore developments in early childhood. Topics include parent-child interactions, early language intervention, eating habits, and more. Select from the 12 bite-sized videos here. Telehealth ROCKS provides resources, education and services to improve child health through outreach for communities, kids and schools.
For more information, contact Elaine Johannes, ejohanne@ksu.edu; and Stephanie Gutierrez, smgutier@k-state.edu