Lung Foundation

In 2009, 94 groups across Australia participated in events to raise awareness about Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with 43 of those groups coordinating a walk.  This year, The Australian Lung Foundation promoted taking control of COPD. We again encouraged people with COPD to "catch their breath".

There are things people with COPD can do to reduce their breathlessness and improve their quality of life. In particular pulmonary rehabilitation, including gentle exercise, is a proven therapy that reduces breathlessness and keeps people out of hospital.

To promote this message on World COPD Day, The Australian Lung Foundation organed a coordinated national walking event. Our message was "Walk for COPD and Catch your Breath".

Our objective was to raise awareness of COPD and to get the message out there that there are things people can do to catch their breath.

Importantly for many people, their breathlessness will not yet have a name. We hope that our messages will encourage those people with symptoms of COPD (but no diagnosis) to see their doctor for a lung function test and to start managing their condition.

(see How to organize a local walk for COPD)!

Content updated December 17, 2009