America's Worst Asthma Cities
Knoxville, Tenn., tops the list of the 100 most challenging U.S. cities for people living with asthma.
Memphis, Tenn., and Louisville, Ky., took the second and third spots in the second annual ranking of U.S. asthma cities. Washington, D.C. jumped from number 50 last year to number five in this year's list.
Researchers say more than half of the 20 million Americans with asthma suffer from the allergic form of the disease, which is aggravated by exposure to allergens like pollen, dust mites, and mold.
In compiling the 2005 U.S. asthma cities list, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America ranked the top 100 metropolitan areas in the country based on 12 asthma risk, medical, and prevalence factors, such as:
Estimated and reported prevalence of asthma
Asthma-related deaths
Annual pollen level
Annual air quality
Public smoking laws
Number of asthma specialists
School asthma-inhaler access laws
Uninsured rate
Poverty rate
Based on those factors, the following cities were ranked number four through 10 behind Knoxville, Memphis and Louisville: Toledo, Ohio, Washington, D.C., St. Louis, Mo., Allentown, Pa., Springfield, Mass., Grand Rapids, Mich. and Scranton, Pa.
Cites considered best for asthma sufferers based on the survey: San Francisco, Miami, Daytona Beach, Fla., Denver, Seattle, West Palm Beach, Fla., Dallas-Ft. Worth, Fort Meyers, Fla., Colorado Springs, Colo., Melbourne, Fla.
SOURCES: The U.S. Asthma Capitals, Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. News release, Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.
By Jennifer Warner, WebMD Medical News
Reviewed by Michael W. Smith, MD
? 2005, WebMD Inc. All rights reserved
© 2005 WebMD, LLC.. All Rights Reserved. Memphis, Tenn., and Louisville, Ky., took the second and third spots in the second annual ranking of U.S. asthma cities. Washington, D.C. jumped from number 50 last year to number five in this year's list.
Researchers say more than half of the 20 million Americans with asthma suffer from the allergic form of the disease, which is aggravated by exposure to allergens like pollen, dust mites, and mold.
In compiling the 2005 U.S. asthma cities list, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America ranked the top 100 metropolitan areas in the country based on 12 asthma risk, medical, and prevalence factors, such as:
Based on those factors, the following cities were ranked number four through 10 behind Knoxville, Memphis and Louisville: Toledo, Ohio, Washington, D.C., St. Louis, Mo., Allentown, Pa., Springfield, Mass., Grand Rapids, Mich. and Scranton, Pa.
Cites considered best for asthma sufferers based on the survey: San Francisco, Miami, Daytona Beach, Fla., Denver, Seattle, West Palm Beach, Fla., Dallas-Ft. Worth, Fort Meyers, Fla., Colorado Springs, Colo., Melbourne, Fla.
SOURCES: The U.S. Asthma Capitals, Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. News release, Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.
By Jennifer Warner, WebMD Medical News
Reviewed by Michael W. Smith, MD
? 2005, WebMD Inc. All rights reserved
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