Virtually all Canadians with asthma could live symptom-free if they managed their asthma well. In a recent survey, six out of 10 Canadians had poor asthma control. Nine out of 10 Canadians incorrectly thought their asthma was under control. In fact, most were unclear about what "good asthma control" really meant.
The Asthma Society of Canada has a National Asthma Awareness Program, through which we work with a broad base of partners to build the level of public awareness about asthma, and to encourage Canadians who are coping with their asthma to seek help.
In 2001, our National Asthma Awareness Campaign directed between 2,500 and 3,000 unique visitors to our Web site each month. Our Certified Asthma Educators provided asthma information, education, counseling and referrals for 3,000 people who had visited our site.
Air pollution, both indoor and outdoor, puts people with asthma at risk for worsening symptoms. The Asthma Society provides information and tools to assist in helping people with asthma to identify what triggers an asthma attack for them, and to eliminate or avoid them as required.
Children are at highest risk from air pollution due to the small size of their lungs. The Asthma Society advocate actions that will benefit the health of Canadians with asthma. The focus is on creating and maintaining healthier indoor environments to reduce asthma mortality and morbidity and enhance the quality of life for those with asthma. The Asthma Society will continue to increase awareness and knowledge around indoor allergens and irritants, and how to avoid or minimize contact.
Over the next year the Asthma Society will develop tools for our members to be more actively engaged in environmental change initiatives, locally and nationally.
The Asthma Society of Canada works in partnership with select National Retail Partners, to build awareness about asthma within their customer and employee base both at a national and at a community level.
Canadians with asthma have benefited from a 20-year relationship between Home Hardware Stores Limited and the Asthma Society through the funding of the Asthma Help Line.
Currently, several pharmaceutical companies, including Astra Zeneca Inc. and GlaxoSmithKline Inc., are working directly with the Asthma Society to build consumer awareness about asthma. Through a national distribution of community flyers, in-store promotions, and catalogue-based consumer awareness, the Asthma Society and its retail partners have reach millions of Canadians each year with our asthma awareness messages.
The Asthma Society of Canada is the primary source of asthma information and opinion used by the Canadian media industry and by a variety of lifestyle, health, and research journalists.
The Asthma Society spokespeople appear regularly on radio and television health shows and in interviews with news, health, and lifestyle journalists.
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