In honor of World Asthma Day on May 5, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America has released its annual list of the most challenging cities in the U.S. to live in with asthma, a condition that affects more than 25 million Americans.
The report considers 13 critical factors relating to asthma prevalence, environmental risk factors and healthcare utilization. Specific medical factors researchers and medical specialists working on the report look at include emergency department visits for asthma, use of quick relief and control medications, number of practicing asthma specialists and the crude death rate for asthma.
Based on the report data, the AAFA assigned a score (out of 100) to the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the country, with the highest scores indicating the worst conditions. Listed below are the 10 most challenging cities in the country to live for people with asthma.
- Memphis, Tenn. — Total asthma challenge score of 100
- Richmond, Va. — 96.21
- Philadelphia — 95.23
- Detroit — 94.53
- Oklahoma City, Okla. — 93.22
- Augusta, Ga. — 92.2
- Knoxville, Tenn. — 90.25
- Chattanooga, Tenn. — 90.14
- New Orleans — 88.68
- Chicago — 88.62