Community health boosts personal health, says K-State expert

 

Johannes encourages people to look for ways to be civically engaged

 

At a glance: More than 50% of our overall health is related to the places that we learn, work, play and pray, says Elaine Johannes, the Kansas Health Foundation's Distinguished Professor of Community Health at Kansas State University.

More information: Elaine Johannes, 785-532-7720, ejohanne@ksu.edu

Related: National Conference on Citizenship (Civic Health Index) | National Community Information Index interactive map and data dashboard | Welcome A-Board: Board Leadership Basics

 

Aug. 27, 2026

K-State Extension news service

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Most folks generally accept that maintaining good health includes an annual visit to the doctor to check their heart, teeth, ears and more.

But, community health expert Elaine Johannes says there’s more to personal health than some may realize.

“The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, American Community Survey, Kaiser Family Foundation, along with our own Kansas Health Foundation acknowledge that much of our overall health is related to the places that we live, learn, work, play and pray,” said Johannes, the Kansas Health Foundation’s Distinguished Professor of Community Health at Kansas State University.

Johannes said research indicates that being engaged in one’s communities is connected to living longer and being healthier.

“So,” she says, “we should look for opportunities to be civically engaged, and be aware of opportunities to volunteer, become involved in clubs and organizations, vote and contribute to local community improvement projects. That’s part of civic health.”

The National Conference on Citizenship, which has studied civic life for more than ten years, reports that communities with higher employment rates, stronger schools, greater access to libraries, sources for timely information and responsive governments have better health among its residents.

According to Johannes, civic health reflects the opportunities people have to participate in their communities, and can be summed up in three areas:

• Places – Healthy communities have places where people can get together formally or informally, such as festivals in a city park; or a library with extended hours.
  
  
• Processes – Healthy communities make it easier for residents to have their voices heard. Some examples: Are voting processes easily understood? Do people know how to voice their support for new projects or changes in ordinances? Can people participate in local city or county meetings in-person and online?
  
  
• People – In healthy communities, people get involved as volunteers and in other roles. People are socially engaged and active.

“When social capital is in place – places, processes and people – the community is stronger,” Johannes said. “Then, the overall health of the people in the community improves. And there’s research that shows that civic health matters to our physical and mental health.”

In May 2026, the national Civic Information Index report and interactive dashboard revealed community health improvements due to community-led information and access efforts, Johannes said

The bi-annual report, produced through Brown University with funding from the MacArthur Foundation, includes links to civic rankings.

“Through the dashboard, the public can see how Kansas counties are doing across civic participation, access to information, voter registration, public places to meet and affiliate as well as housing affordability and other measures of place and community health,” Johannes said.

“Kansas is similar to our neighboring states when it comes to having higher than the national rate of membership in social associations. For Kansas, it’s a rate of 13 organizational affiliations as compared to nine nationally. However, about a third of adults frequently feel lonely and isolated in spite of their memberships. Thirty-two percent of adult Kansans report feeling lonely, 31% of adult Nebraskans, and 33% of Iowans as compared to 34% adults nationally.”

Johannes adds: “Research shows that counties and communities that have more civic participation and more opportunities to affiliate, have healthier residents. It comes down to relationships.

Johannes, whose office is on the K-State campus in Manhattan, is part of the larger, statewide network of extension professionals whose job includes supporting health in every Kansas county.

“Many of our K-State faculty and our professionals across the state and in extension offices are part of the university’s community vitality and community engagement work in Kansas,” she said. “Those people are being trained to provide facilitation and to convene people to talk about the important issues of the day.”

According to Johannes, many counties have community vitality staff or specialists who can train residents on how to serve on local committees and boards. More information is available online and from local extension offices in Kansas.

A longer discussion with Johannes regarding civic health is available on the weekly radio program, Sound Living, produced by K-State Extension.

***

 

K‑State Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the wellbeing of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county extension offices statewide. Its headquarters is on the K‑State campus in Manhattan. For more information, visit www.ksre.ksu.edu. K-State Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer.