The European Respiratory Society and the European Lung Foundation are partners of global health initiative Healthy Lungs for Life. The campaign, which is being supported by GSK Malta, seeks to reduce the number of people living with respiratory disease by raising awareness of lung conditions and ways to prevent lung damage.

Through a ‘Take the active option’ theme, one initiative highlights the importance of physical activity, reflecting the growing body of evidence supporting the importance of regular physical activity for lung health.

To mark the change in season and in support of this year’s theme, GSK Malta is driving a better understanding and appreciation of lung health.

“The importance of healthy, active living should not be underestimated. Regular physical activity can improve quality of life and can reduce the risk of long-term lung diseases. GSK is proud to partner with the European Respiratory Society and European Lung Foundation to support people to make positive changes to improve their symptoms, quality of life and reduce their long-term risk of living with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,” GSK Malta general manager Mario Sciberras said.

One in eight of all deaths in the EU each year is due to respiratory diseases and the total cost, including the value of disability-adjusted life-years lost to respiratory disease, is estimated at €380 billion. It is estimated that around 235 million people in the world currently have asthma and 329 million people are living with COPD. In Malta, asthma and COPD combined affect 13 per cent of the population.