November is the National COPD Awareness Month! To prepare for this month, we have compiled a list of community resources below. And don’t forget to check out our educational resources here at Breathe Strong.
2023 COPD Awareness Theme is Lace-Up for Lungs: Let’s Outpace COPD.
Each November, the COPD Foundation and its community increase the focus on building awareness for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This year, the Foundation’s COPD Awareness theme is Lace-Up for Lungs: Let’s Outpace COPD. We’re committed to innovative approaches to preventing COPD and encouraging early diagnosis while improving lives and advocating for all affected.
Did you know that 16 million U.S. adults have COPD, and millions more are undiagnosed and unaware that they have the disease? COPD kills more than 150,000 people each year in the United States and more than 3.2 million people worldwide. Despite the high number of deaths, COPD is ranked 176th in research funding in the U.S.
Explore COPD Foundation Awareness Month Educational Resources
COPD Awareness Resources From the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
Nearly 16 million people in the U.S. have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a serious lung disease that makes it difficult to breathe.
COPD, also known as emphysema or chronic bronchitis, is more than twice as common in rural areas. Air pollution from occupational exposures to dust, fumes, smoke, or chemicals from jobs like farming, mining, or manufacturing and higher rates of smoking in rural communities can increase the risk of developing COPD. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the following states have the highest rates of COPD: West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Ohio, Indiana, and Missouri.
COPD National Action Plan Community Action Tool Spotlight from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
Making plans for National COPD Awareness Month? Share the work you’re doing to reach communities – especially in rural areas – by adding it to the COPD National Action Plan Community Action Tool.
View The Community Action Tool
Why Everyone Should Care About COPD Awareness Month, From The ALA
November is Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Awareness Month. What exactly is COPD? It is a chronic lung disease that makes it very difficult for people to breathe. Air becomes progressively trapped inside the lungs due to excess mucus, scarring and narrowing of the air passages and destruction of the air sacs (emphysema).
Given that COPD affects 16.4 million diagnosed adults and millions more may be undiagnosed, you probably know someone with the condition. But this isn’t the only reason you should care about COPD.
Click Here to Read More and See the ALA’s Lung Health Resources
