A new study ranked Poughkeepsie as among the worst U.S. cities for people living with asthma.
The newly published 2023 Asthma Capitals report published by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) has ranked the Hudson Valley metro area sixth in a list of the nation”™s “most challenging place to live with asthma.” It was one of three New York metros in AAFA”™s top 20 list, with Rochester placing 10th and New York City in 15th.
Poughkeepsie placed first among the U.S. cities with the highest estimated asthma prevalence and first among the U.S. cities with the fewest asthma specialists per asthma patient.
The AAFA report did not specifically explain why Poughkeepsie fared so poorly in its study. The cities that were considered more problematic for asthma sufferers were Allentown, Pennsylvania; Lakeland, Florida; Charleston, South Carolina; Cleveland; and Detroit.