In 2014, ELF launched Healthy Lungs for Life together with the European Respiratory Society (ERS), one of the largest ever lung health campaigns, raising awareness of the importance of healthy lungs to healthcare professionals, scientists, primary care, patients, policy makers and the public.
Since then, the campaign has built up significant momentum, with Healthy Lungs for Life events being held across Europe and the wider world, with two key campaign messages: ‘breathe clean air’ and ‘take the active option’.
Plans for Healthy Lungs for Life in 2016 are well underway, and we would love your help to spread the message!
There are many ways in which you can get involved and hold Healthy Lungs for Life events in your own community: holding a lung function testing or patient education event, holding a spirometry training event for healthcare professionals, following the campaign on social media, or sharing the many resources on our website.
You can follow the campaign on the Healthy Lungs for Life website and through the Healthy Lungs for Life Facebook group.
If you would like more information on how to get involved with the project, please contact us.
We began 2015 with a very successful Healthy Lungs for Life event at the European Parliament in Brussels, giving 524 people, including MEPs and members of staff, lung function tests.
The event included an exhibition on lung health, free lung function testing and a roundtable discussion between MEPs and the ERS and ELF leadership.
We launched the second Healthy Lungs for Life campaign, which focused on the importance of physical activity, at the ERS International Congress in Amsterdam in September.
ELF organised a free public lung function testing event and a ‘meet the expert evening’ for patients, in partnership with Longfonds.
The public lung function testing event took place across two sites in central Amsterdam, on Dam Square and Beursplein on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 September. Members of the public were able to come to the event and have their lung function tested, take part in physical activities and classes, and learn more about how to ensure they are being active in clean air.
The event was hugely popular, with over 1,000 lung function tests being performed across the two days. Many more people also took part in physical activity demonstrations, an interactive bike challenge, a photobooth and the Healthy Lungs for Life clean air cycling and walking route.
We also held an extremely well-attended ‘meet the expert’ evening, where local patients learned about the latest lung health research being presented at the Congress, and about the importance of exercise and clean air. After the presentations, patients had the opportunity to ask leaders in the field their questions.
As part of the ‘take the active option’ theme of this year’s Healthy Lungs for Life campaign, double-lung transplant recipient and international athlete André Lassooij was presented with the ELF Award for inspiring others through his sporting achievements. André accepted the Award as part of the Opening Ceremony on Saturday 26 September.
Last month, we organised a well-attended Healthy Lungs for Life event with ERS at the European Parliament.
Hosted by Claudiu Ciprian Tănăsescu MEP, the event aimed to raise awareness of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a day ahead of World COPD Day, among policy makers.
The event featured presentations from ERS President Professor Jorgen Vestbo, ERS Chair Professor Peter Calverley, Professor Thierry Troosters on COPD and the importance of physical activity to lung health.
Jos Donkers, a COPD patient who lives in the Netherlands, also spoke about the realities of living with the condition on a daily basis and the importance of being physically active to his quality of life.
