WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The COPD Foundation is pleased to announce the results of a landmark effort that examines the burden of COPD across America. The “COPD in the United States” project looks at COPD at the state level, identifying differences across states, regions and data points, to inform public health and policy decision-making.
COPD affects an estimated 30 million Americans but, up until now, little has been known about how one state compares to another. With the addition in 2011 of a COPD question to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), the nation’s largest public health survey, more actionable information has been collected. State level data also exists to highlight the healthcare services individuals with COPD use, other conditions people with COPD may have and how different groups of people with COPD are affected.
Just collecting data isn’t enough, though, as it often sits in fragmented databases, is not analyzed or available for advocates, public health and policy decision-makers. With this project, the COPD Foundation aims to change that.
Using data from the BRFSS as well as other sources, the COPD Foundation analyzed data for all states and published the results in an article in the Journal of the COPD Foundation. They also created individual assessment cards focusing on ten key performance areas.
“Data drives action and now, more than ever, we need to raise the profile of COPD with those in a position to make a meaningful difference in lowering the burden that COPD places on individuals, families, the healthcare system and states’ economies,” said Dr. Byron Thomashow, Chief Medical Officer for the COPD Foundation. “Do you know how your state is doing?”
About COPD
COPD encompasses progressive lung diseases such as emphysema, chronic bronchitis, refractory asthma and severe bronchiectasis. The disease is characterized by increasing breathlessness.
About the COPD Foundation
The COPD Foundation’s mission is to prevent and cure chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and improve the lives of all people affected by COPD. The Foundation’s activities focus on achieving these results through research, education and advocacy programs. To learn more about the COPD Foundation, please visit www.copdfoundation.org.
