Worst 100 U.S. Cities For Asthma
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:
- Scranton, Pa.
- Richmond, Va.
- Philadelphia
- Atlanta
- 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:
- Scranton, Pa.
- Richmond, Va.
- Philadelphia
- Atlanta
- Milwaukee
- Cleveland
- Greensboro, N.C.
- Youngstown, Ohio
- St. Louis
- Detroit
- Knoxville, Tenn.
- Cincinnati
- Toledo, Ohio
- Canton, Ohio
- Baton Rouge, La.
- Pittsburgh
- Little Rock, Ark.
- Phoenix-Mesa, Ariz.
- Memphis, Tenn.
- Baltimore
- Lancaster, Pa.
- Chicago
- Charlotte, N.C.
- Houston
- Harrisburg, Pa.
- McAllen, Texas
- Washington
- Hartford, Conn.
- Birmingham, Ala.
- Kalamazoo, Mich.
- Grand Rapids, Mich.
- Indianapolis
- Fresno, Calif.
- Dayton, Ohio
- Louisville, Ky.
- Allentown, Pa.
- Salt Lake City
- San Diego
- San Antonio
- Bakersfield, Calif.
- Columbia, S.C.
- Las Vegas
- Chattanooga, Tenn.
- Lansing, Mich.
- Stockton, Calif.
- Mobile, Ala.
- Omaha, Neb.
- Augusta, Ga.
- Los Angeles
- Dallas-Fort Worth
- Johnson City, Tenn.
- Fort Wayne, Ind.
- Raleigh-Durham, N.C.
- Seattle
- Denver
- Kansas City, Mo.
- Oklahoma City
- New York
- Norfolk, Va.
- Springfield, Mass.
- Modesto, Calif.
- New Orleans
- Spokane, Wash.
- Tulsa, Okla.
- Columbus, Ohio
- Buffalo, N.Y.
- Nashville, Tenn.
- Greenville, S.C.
- Sacramento, Calif.
- Boston
- Boise City, Idaho
- Charleston, S.C.
- Portland, Ore.
- Colorado Springs, Colo.
- Rochester, N.Y.
- El Paso, Texas
- Des Moines, Iowa
- Lexington, Ky.
- Albuquerque, N.M.
- Sarasota, Fla.
- Wichita, Kan.
- Syracuse, N.Y.
- Providence, R.I.
- Austin, Texas
- Fort Myers, Fla.
- Tucson, Ariz.
- Jackson, Miss.
- Madison, Wis.
- Miami
- Pensacola, Fla.
- San Francisco
- Orlando, Fla.
- Lakeland, Fla.
- Melbourne, Fla.
- Daytona Beach, Fla.
- Jacksonville, Fla.
- West Palm Beach, Fla.
- Albany, N.Y.
- Minneapolis
- 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