Top 10 Asthma Capitals: These are the top most challenging places to live with asthma in the U.S. That means they ranked highly for prevalence, risk, and medical factors overall.
1.Atlanta, GA
2.Philadelphia, PA
3.Raleigh, NC
4.Knoxville, TN
5.Harrisburg, PA
6.Grand Rapids, MI
7.Milwaukee, WI
8.Greensboro, NC
9.Scranton, PA
10.Little Rock, AR
Least 10 Challenging Asthma Capitals: The following cities are among the 100 cities in the US with the highest population. However, among those 100 cities, these are the ten that ranked the lowest overall in the prevalence, risk, and medical factors.
1.San Francisco, CA
2.Daytona Beach, FL
3.Fort Myers, FL
4.Sarasota, FL
5.Colorado Springs, CO
6.Melbourne, FL
7.West Palm Beach, FL
8.Miami, FL
9.Minneapolis, MN
10.Seattle, WA
It is interesting that of those 10, six are located in Florida.
Other Significant Findings: It is also intriguing that cities one might think of as highly polluted, and so "bad" for asthma, such as New York City, didn't necessarily fall out that way in the rankings. New York City, one of the largest metropolitan areas in the U.S., was ranked way down at 60 out of 100, while Salt Lake City, Utah, set in the Rocky Mountains, ranked 22. Boston, Massachusetts and Houston, Texas were only 37 and 38, respectively.
Atlanta, which tops the list in 2007, was ranked #1 for the following reasons:
higher than average crude death rate for asthma
high year-round pollen levels
bad air pollution
a lack of ¡°100% smoke-free¡± bans for restaurants, bars or workplaces
high uninsured rates
high poverty rates
In Summary
It's important not to view the Asthma Capitals rankings as a reason to relocate. Instead, the AAFA urges everyone to look at them as an opportunity to identify ways in which your community can improve quality of life for people who have asthma. Consider working with your community leaders to improve air pollution, poverty and health insurance coverage. Campaign to establish public smoking bans. Asthma is an epidemic in this country, and uncontrolled asthma is common. The environment is just one obstacle to long-term health for people with asthma, however.
It's also essential to work with your doctor to develop an asthma management plan that is right for you. When asthma is poorly controlled over a long period of time, it can cause irreversible damage to your lungs.
The most important message here is that you don't have to live a life with limits just because you have asthma. Take action¡ªfor yourself and for your community¡ªand make a difference.
