Washington, DC, Oct. 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America’s (AAFA) 2024 Asthma Capitals™ report highlights the most challenging cities for people with asthma. The report includes analysis of factors that make living with asthma more difficult and calls attention to the urgent need to address air pollution, access to medicine, and health equity.
“The Asthma Capitals report drives our policy agenda,” said AAFA President and CEO Kenneth Mendez. “We owe it to the nearly 28 million people in the United States with asthma to focus our advocacy efforts on issues that will bring the greatest benefits to this community. Three issues consistently rise to the top of these reports: Air pollution, access to medicine, and health equity.”
This year, AAFA is celebrating progress on each of these issues while continuing to push for further change to improve the quality of life for people with asthma.
Air Pollution
The report calls out the impact of air pollution on asthma:
Poor air quality can negatively affect everyone’s health. Research shows that air pollution can make asthma worse and trigger asthma symptoms. It also causes increased rates of emergency room visits, hospital admissions, and school absenteeism related to asthma. Air pollution includes gases, smoke from fires, volcanic ash, dust particles, emissions from transportation, and other substances that can harm the lungs.
This year, AAFA’s long-term advocacy for regulations to reduce carbon emissions bore fruit by way of new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules on vehicle emissions – that go into effect for the 2027 model year.
AAFA continues to push for additional regulations on air pollution from all sources, including calling for stricter EPA standards on soot pollution.
Access to Medicine
This year’s report also notes that both income level (poverty) and the absence of health insurance or inadequate health insurance influence a patient’s ability to access treatment.
In previous research conducted by AAFA, people cited the cost of asthma medicines and the lack of health insurance coverage as reasons for not taking prescribed treatments.
This year, in part as a result of AAFA’s work with the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, several major manufacturers announced $35 a month price caps on their asthma inhalers.
While the price caps will offer some relief, Mendez notes the drug pricing system in the U.S. is complex and more should be done to address the affordability of essential medicines, “We welcome continued efforts to improve affordability and accessibility of these essential medicines by all stakeholders in the supply chain so patients can get the treatment they need.”
Health Equity
The Asthma Capitals report acknowledges that where a person lives can significantly impact their health. Social, economic, and environmental disadvantages play a role in determining asthma outcomes. Many of the top Asthma Capitals face major challenges and inequities that lead to health inequity.
AAFA’s Health Equity, Advancement, and Leadership (HEAL) program seeks to address disparities in asthma outcomes by supporting and investing in efforts to provide education and resources to communities bearing the greatest burden of asthma.
The newest HEAL site is in the #1 Asthma Capital, Allentown, Pennsylvania.
AAFA is supporting the Allentown community with developing and launching the EASE Allentown: Empowering Asthma Self-Management and Education program. This project will be led by the Health Promotion Council of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Inc. (HPC), a subsidiary of Public Health Management Corporation, in collaboration with local partners. The goal is to develop a community-based asthma management program and outreach campaign focused on older adults with asthma. The project will expand current programs for older adults living with chronic health conditions, including asthma, and build new referral pipelines with local partners.
“Quality research provides a solid foundation for effective advocacy,” said Mendez. “The information and resources found in this report should be used to guide policy change. We use it to drive our agenda and policymakers can use it to inform action that improves health outcomes for people with asthma.”
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About the Research
AAFA publishes the Asthma Capitals™ report to raise awareness about the nationwide impacts of asthma. The report analyzes data from across the contiguous United States and ranks the 100 largest cities where it is challenging to live with asthma. The report ranks cities by the most critical of health outcomes – asthma prevalence, emergency department visits due to asthma attacks, and asthma mortality. The outcomes are not weighted equally. The report also examines asthma risk factors that influence the outcomes. Visit asthmacapitals.com to see the full list of 100 cities, methodology, and to learn more about asthma management.
The 2024 Asthma Capitals report is an independent research project of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America and made possible by support from Amgen, Sanofi, and Regeneron.
About AAFA
Founded in 1953, AAFA is the oldest and largest non-profit patient organization dedicated to saving lives and reducing the burden of disease for people with asthma, allergies, and related conditions through research, education, advocacy, and support. AAFA offers extensive support for individuals and families affected by asthma and allergic diseases, such as food allergies and atopic dermatitis (eczema). Through its online patient support communities, network of regional chapters, and collaborations with community-based groups, AAFA empowers patients and their families by providing practical, evidence-based information and community programs and services. AAFA is the only asthma and allergy patient advocacy group that is certified to meet the standards of excellence set by the National Health Council. For more information, visit: aafa.org and asthmacapitals.com.
Attachments
Andy Spears Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America 2029741223 media@aafa.org
