This was so interesting I just had to share! The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America (AAFA) recently released their Asthma Capitals 2011 report and I was thoroughly relieved to NOT see Reno, NV on the list. I was surprised to see San Diego, CA on there though. If you haven’t visited AAFA, take a moment and check it out…they offer up great information on allergies, food allergies and asthma. Each year, AAFA lists the Top 100 Most Challenging Places to Live with Asthma. Richmond, VA moved up from the #14 slot in 2009 to number #1. Which on this list, number one is not the honor you want! They reached this status due to pollen scores, continuous poor air quality, lack of smoking bans, high poverty and uninsured rates to name a few items. Now, this isn’t just a gloom and doom report, the true value is that if you know what the dragon looks like, well then you can slay it Don’t Move–Improve the report shouts out!
The rankings are based on 12 factors from three groupings…
[ordered_list style=”decimal”]
- Prevalence Factors-morbidity and mortality statistics
- Risk Factors-air quality, pollen, “100% smoke-free laws, poverty and more
- Medical Factors-medication usage and access to specialists
If you visit the Asthma Capitals 2011 website, you will be able to read in detail the criteria used to create the report. Also, if you download Top 100 most challenging places to live with Asthma, you will get a nice detailed list of the rankings and why the city is challenging. For example, I learned that Frenso, CA has an above average Asthma Prevalence Rate, an above average Crude Death Rate, but a below average Annual Pollen Count, average “100%” Smoke Free Bans and an above average Quick Relief (rescue inhaler) Use.
Equipped with this kind of information a person could try to slay their dragon and work on improvement, such as supporting smoke free bans, using air filters in their home if the pollen counts are high, etc. In our household reduce and avoid are our theme songs. At this very moment in time, many of our friends are getting sick with respiratory viruses, so we made a conscious choice last night to avoid play dates or interacting with sick family members until the bug passes, plus we’re washing hands like crazy, eating and sleeping well too!
It’s all about strategy to me. You can’t avoid all sickness and asthma attacks, but reduction strategies have some real value!
Hope you are enjoying a beautiful winter day-[typography font=”Lobster” size=”18″ size_format=”px”]Caroline[/typography]
One of the hardest things I find about managing both life threatening food allergies and asthma is talking to others. I hate to be the one that might be perceived as demanding, pushing or for asking too much. What I now know, fourteen years later, is that honest, clear information presented with kindness works!..