Lung health

Lung health refers to how effectively the lungs enable normal breathing through unobstructed airways, healthy lung tissue and proper gas exchange. Normal breathing allows the body to take in oxygen and to remove carbon dioxide. Oxygen is vital for life – the lungs supply oxygen to cells in every organ of the body. Lung health therefore directly affects the health of all other organs, for example the heart and the brain.

Healthy lungs make it easier to stay active, cope with illness, and maintain independence. Lung health impacts on our daily lives, including the ability to work, study, or care for others, and to participate in social activities. Comfortable breathing is closely linked to mental health and well-being.

Lung health is influenced by lung diseases and risk factors across the life course. Exposure to risk factors and infections in early life impacts lung growth and development, with long term consequences.

In 2025, the World Health Assembly adopted a resolution “Promoting and prioritizing an integrated lung health approach”. 

Integrated approaches to lung health, which optimize disease prevention, early diagnosis and appropriate management can improve outcomes for individuals, their families and the wider community.

Five lung diseases account for the majority of lung-related deaths and disability globally: asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer, pneumonia, and tuberculosis.

Chronic respiratory diseases, including asthma, COPD and occupational lung diseases, directly impair lung function and overall lung health.

Lung cancer is the most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. It is often diagnosed late, making prevention and early detection critical to improving survival.

Respiratory infections, including pneumonia and tuberculosis, can cause acute and chronic lung damage and post-viral syndromes. Vaccination to prevent pneumonia is important in children and in adults with chronic conditions.

Our breathed environment presents many risk factors for lung health.

Poor air quality worsens respiratory health and causes decline in lung function. Outdoor air pollution contains gases and particulate matter from sources such as transport, industry and residential fuel use. Household air pollution results from cooking with fuels such as wood and charcoal, worsened by poor ventilation.

Exposure to tobacco smoke, including second-hand smoke, is one of the strongest determinants of poor lung health, contributing to asthma, COPD, lung cancer, pneumonia and tuberculosis. 

Occupational exposures, including dust, fumes and chemicals can lead to asthma, COPD, lung cancer and pneumoconiosis.

An integrated approach can occur at different levels – within health care services or more broadly within whole-of-government and whole-of-society multisectoral and multidisciplinary collaboration. 

Integrated health services deliver a continuum of health promotion, disease prevention, diagnosis, treatment, disease-management, rehabilitation and palliative care services, coordinated across the different levels and sites of care within and beyond the health sector, and according to needs throughout the life course. 

Examples of integrated lung health services within the health system:

• standardize lung health assessments for patients with common symptoms in primary care;
• embed tobacco cessation services and patient education on air pollution as a routine part of respiratory care; 
• integrate rehabilitation and palliative care services to address common symptoms, such as breathlessness and fatigue; and
• protect children’s lungs by informing parents and carers about harmful risk factors and the importance of immunization.

Examples of integrated lung health approaches within sectors outside the health system: 

• promote awareness of lung health in school health programmes;
• enforce workplace safety standards for respiratory protection and screen for occupational lung disease;
• ensure safe housing with proper ventilation and low exposure to indoor pollutants; and
• address air pollution through legislation, management of polluting sectors (such as energy and transport) and urban planning.