See what activities this year’s Healthy Lungs For Life grant winners have been involved in to celebrate World Lung Day.
Healthy Lungs for Life (HLfL) is a global awareness campaign run by the ELF and the European Respiratory Society (ERS). The campaign focusses on five key themes to raise awareness of the best ways we can keep our lungs healthy. This year, with thanks to the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS), 10 organisations were awarded with grants to promote Healthy Lungs For Life activities around the globe.
Find out more about the Healthy Lungs For Life grant awardees and their projects.
World Lung Day marked the beginning of VPS Lakeshore Hospital and Research Centre’s activities upon receiving a Healthy Lungs for Life grant last month. To mark the occasion, the organisation set up a 3-day programme inside the hospital before visiting the largest public shopping centre in Kochi for the final day.
Throughout the programme, multiple doctors shared various messages related to World Lung Day, including how air pollution can be a risk to lung health. Attendees were advised around vaccination and quitting smoking. VPS Lakeshore Hospital and Research Centre also raised awareness of attendee’s lung health by hosting activities from offering free lung function tests and screening consultations, to inflating balloons and cycling.
On World Lung Day, the Samprity Aid Foundation organised a series of events to raise awareness of clean air and get the public involved.
The day began with a rally around the streets of Satkhira, Bangladesh. Participants wore colourful clothing to attract attention and remind people of the link between air quality and lung health.
A meeting was also held around the day’s theme “Clean Air for all, Healthy Lungs for all.” Mr Luis Rana Gain, environmental activist, was a key speaker within the session and discussed how the environment can affect lung health. Alongside the dangers of air pollution, speakers highlighted how communities can promote clean air.
Free health check-ups were offered for some locals. This included screening for lung diseases and counselling sessions. The aim of this initiative was to raise awareness of common lung conditions and teach the public how they can maintain their lung health.
To mark World Lung Day, the Vijana Life Organization (VILO) released a video to raise awareness of the ‘My Lungs: My Life’ campaign. As part of the campaign, free physiotherapy services were offered to the public, including blood pressure and lung capacity checks. The importance of physiotherapy in the management of people living with lung conditions is discussed in the video.
Watch the video
