Lung Health for Life: enhancing lung health from an early age through lung function testing and educational programmes

Aim: The Healthy Lungs for Life (HLfL) schools initiative and the Lung Health for Life project (LH4L) are focused on improving lung health through lung function testing and educational programs in school-aged children. Context: The HLfL initiative has been promoting lung health for over a decade. The initiative has been focused on public spirometry events and advocacy in adults. Description of Change: Research now shows that a single low lung function measurement taken at a critical point, such as in childhood, is linked to a future diagnosis of chronic respiratory disease and unhealthy aging. Therefore, the concept is to take HLfL into schools to perform lung function testing and deliver health promotion and disease prevention activities to impact personal behaviours in the long term to protect lung health. A HLfL4 schools pilot has shown that it is feasible to reach schools and gain the attention of children. Spirometry is well accepted by the children and feasible in the school environment. Educational programs in schools have been able to teach children about lung health and the risks. The new LungHealth4Life project, funded by EU4Health, focuses on lung function testing and health education in schools in Portugal, Polan and Hungary to support early detection and awareness, addressing health inequalities and promoting better long-term respiratory health outcomes. Impact: Our approach proposes innovative ways to protect lung health at a population level. We specifically propose that lung function testing and education about health risks in childhood provides an opportunity to identify, address and prevent societal and health inequalities that can result in lung disease and premature death. Funding: This project is co-funded under the EU4H Project Grants under grant agreement no. 101160880.