Kansas is keeping its toehold as a middling state in regards to public health measures. It remains at 27th among the nation’s 50 states, the same as in 2013, but a significant comedown over the past 25 years. In 1990, we ranked 12th among our peers. THE NUMBER of adult smokers has dropped significantly across the country. Kansas, too, has seen a decrease, but not as much as other states. Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States and is linked to either causing or aggravating 14 major medical conditions, including heart and lung disease and cancer. PUBLIC health spending is at the crux of addressing health care concerns. Kansas budgets $14.07 per person for public health measures. The national average is $90 per person, putting us in 44th place.
The findings are published in America’s Health Rankings, an annual report conducted by the United Health Foundation.
Kansas has fallen behind in immunizations, especially among adolescents, and at keeping cancer at bay, specifically that related to smoking.
In regards to immunizations, today’s teens should be up on four vaccines to protect them from six different diseases: meningococcal, tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, human papillomavirus and influenza.
Most receive the Tdap series of shots as infants. Around age 11 or 12 a Tdap booster is needed to maintain protection against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis. The booster not only protects the teen, but also infants and the elderly with whom he comes in contact.
Also around age 11 or 12, youths should get the MCV4, a vaccine that fights meningococcal meningitis and meningococcal septicemia. The first is a rare but serious infection that causes membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord to become inflamed. The second is an infection of the bloodstream that damages the walls of blood vessels. Either can be fatal or cause great harm if not treated immediately. A booster shot at age 16 is recommended.
The HPV vaccine should be administered to all teens to guard against the sexually transmitted disease, human papillomavirus. HPV can cause cervical cancer among females and genital cancers among males as well as cancers to the throat, tongue and tonsils.
Just 53.8 percent of our teens have received the recommended shots.
Of the 50 states, Kansas ranks a humiliating 47th in seeing that our youth are protected from such diseases.
About 20 percent of Kansans are regular smokers, up from the national average of 17.3 percent.
Kansas has one of the lowest tobacco taxes for a pack of cigarettes, 79 cents, compared to the national average of $1.54. New York has the highest tobacco tax, $4.35 per pack — and its percentage of smokers has decreased to 16.6 percent.
Cost is a definite deterrent.
Good health outcomes depend on education and services available to all. Some states have made their people’s health a priority by enacting policies and measures that make preventive measures affordable and in many cases free.
Kansas should follow their examples.
— Susan Lynn
Kansas needs to boost immunization rates
