Alex Cunningham has pledged his support for the British Lung Foundation’s lung health awareness campaign by taking part in an online ‘breath test’ and is encouraging others to do the same.
The charity recently launched its UK-wide Listen To Your Lungs campaign, and the Stockton North MP was eager to play his part in improving understanding. The year-long effort will seek to drive awareness that feeling out of breath doing everyday tasks could be a sign of lung disease and encourage people to take an online breath test.
The test allows people to check their health through answering ten simple questions, based around the Medical Research Council breathlessness scale, and aims to reassure people who don’t have a problem while encouraging those with significant breathlessness to make an appointment with their GP. The British Lung Foundation hopes at least 100,000 people will take the test and share it with their friends and family.
Alex said:
“Completing the Foundation’s online breath test is a really easy way of checking your lung health and I encourage everyone, from the Stockton borough and beyond, to get online and try it. It will either give you peace of mind or start you on a path to helping you manage your breathlessness.
“Up to 65 per cent of people underestimate the proportion of deaths in the UK caused by lung disease, which kills someone every five minutes. With people across the Stockton borough being at higher relative risk of some lung diseases than the national average, it is all the more reason to make sure that you and your loved ones take the test if you’re even slightly worried about feeling increasingly short of breath.”
Steven Wibberley, Chief Operating Officer for the British Lung Foundation, said: “This campaign gives us the opportunity to throw the spotlight on breathlessness, which can be a sign of lung disease. Fewer than half of us would be concerned at feeling short of breath doing daily tasks. Often people put it down to age or fitness, and don’t seek advice from their GP.
“It’s great to have Alex’s support in encouraging people to listen to their lungs if they feel breathless. Together we can ensure that those people who are suffering with an undiagnosed lung condition seek help and get the support they need. With treatment, people can live longer, healthier lives.”
