Worst 100 U.S. Cities For Asthma

(WebMD)  Scranton, Pa. is the worst city in the U.S. for asthma, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.

The foundation has released its "2006 Asthma Capitals" list. The annual list names the 100 U.S. cities the foundation considers to be the nation's most challenging places to live for people with asthma.

Leading this year's list are:

1. Scranton, Pa.
   
2. Richmond, Va.
   
3. Philadelphia
   
4. Atlanta
   
5. Milwaukee

Before you read the full list, check out the standards used in formulating the list.

"Researchers developing this year's rankings looked at 12 factors from three broad categories -- prevalence, risk, and medical factors," states a foundation news release.

"All factors are weighted differently but the most important ones are the risk factors, which included annual pollution and ozone levels, pollen counts, public smoking bans, and more."

Many cities on the list showed an above-average use of "rescue medications," indicating that asthma patients weren't properly managing their asthma, the news release notes.

Full Rankings

Here is the full list, starting with the worst cities for asthma:

1. Scranton, Pa.
   
2. Richmond, Va.
   
3. Philadelphia
   
4. Atlanta
   
5. Milwaukee
   
6. Cleveland
   
7. Greensboro, N.C.
   
8. Youngstown, Ohio
   
9. St. Louis
   
10. Detroit
    
11. Knoxville, Tenn.
    
12. Cincinnati
    
13. Toledo, Ohio
    
14. Canton, Ohio
    
15. Baton Rouge, La.
    
16. Pittsburgh
    
17. Little Rock, Ark.
    
18. Phoenix-Mesa, Ariz.
    
19. Memphis, Tenn.
    
20. Baltimore
    
21. Lancaster, Pa.
    
22. Chicago
    
23. Charlotte, N.C.
    
24. Houston
    
25. Harrisburg, Pa.
    
26. McAllen, Texas
    
27. Washington
    
28. Hartford, Conn.
    
29. Birmingham, Ala.
    
30. Kalamazoo, Mich.
    
31. Grand Rapids, Mich.
    
32. Indianapolis
    
33. Fresno, Calif.
    
34. Dayton, Ohio
    
35. Louisville, Ky.
    
36. Allentown, Pa.
    
37. Salt Lake City
    
38. San Diego
    
39. San Antonio
    
40. Bakersfield, Calif.
    
41. Columbia, S.C.
    
42. Las Vegas
    
43. Chattanooga, Tenn.
    
44. Lansing, Mich.
    
45. Stockton, Calif.
    
46. Mobile, Ala.
    
47. Omaha, Neb.
    
48. Augusta, Ga.
    
49. Los Angeles
    
50. Dallas-Fort Worth
    
51. Johnson City, Tenn.
    
52. Fort Wayne, Ind.
    
53. Raleigh-Durham, N.C.
    
54. Seattle
    
55. Denver
    
56. Kansas City, Mo.
    
57. Oklahoma City
    
58. New York
    
59. Norfolk, Va.
    
60. Springfield, Mass.
    
61. Modesto, Calif.
    
62. New Orleans
    
63. Spokane, Wash.
    
64. Tulsa, Okla.
    
65. Columbus, Ohio
    
66. Buffalo, N.Y.
    
67. Nashville, Tenn.
    
68. Greenville, S.C.
    
69. Sacramento, Calif.
    
70. Boston
    
71. Boise City, Idaho
    
72. Charleston, S.C.
    
73. Portland, Ore.
    
74. Colorado Springs, Colo.
    
75. Rochester, N.Y.
    
76. El Paso, Texas
    
77. Des Moines, Iowa
    
78. Lexington, Ky.
    
79. Albuquerque, N.M.
    
80. Sarasota, Fla.
    
81. Wichita, Kan.
    
82. Syracuse, N.Y.
    
83. Providence, R.I.
    
84. Austin, Texas
    
85. Fort Myers, Fla.
    
86. Tucson, Ariz.
    
87. Jackson, Miss.
    
88. Madison, Wis.
    
89. Miami
    
90. Pensacola, Fla.
    
91. San Francisco
    
92. Orlando, Fla.
    
93. Lakeland, Fla.
    
94. Melbourne, Fla.
    
95. Daytona Beach, Fla.
    
96. Jacksonville, Fla.
    
97. West Palm Beach, Fla.
    
98. Albany, N.Y.
    
99. Minneapolis
    
100. Tampa, Fla.

Sources: Asthma and Allergy Foundation, "2006 Asthma Capitals -- The Most Challenging Places to Live with Asthma." News release, Asthma, and Allergy Foundation of America.

By Miranda Hitti
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
© 2006, WebMD Inc. All rights reserved