Source: Regards sur le Souffle – Fondation du Souffle – September 2024 opinion survey conducted by OpinionWay; Fondation du Souffle press kit (09/24)
Air pollution is an invisible deadly danger… According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 7 million premature deaths are attributed to exposure to air pollution, both outdoor and indoor. In fact, 99% of the world’s population breathes air whose quality exceeds the thresholds recommended by the WHO. In France, more than 10 million people suffer from respiratory diseases, placing them third among the causes of death in the country. However, air quality definitely plays a major role in their aggravation.
The Fondation du Souffle presents its first study, “Regards sur le Souffle”, devoted to the impact of air quality on the respiratory health of the French. One figure may surprise: more than one in two French people believe that it is possible to permanently cure at least one of the most common respiratory diseases (asthma, COPD, etc.). The reality is much more complex.
43% of French people say they are exposed to pollutants on a daily basis
57% of under-35s share this perception. However, harmful habits persist. Indeed, 29% of French people say they air their home less than once a day. In addition, among those under 35, 79% use scented candles, 59% use essential oil diffusers and 75% use aerosol air fresheners, all products that are dangerous for respiratory health. Alarming fact: it is people suffering from respiratory symptoms or illnesses who are the most likely to use them: 81% for scented candles, 71% for essential oils and 83% for aerosols.
Furthermore, 43% of under-35s with a respiratory symptom or illness do not clean their homes every week. However, dust, mites and animal hair contribute to triggering and worsening respiratory symptoms.
53% of French people experience at least one respiratory symptom
Young people and residents of large urban areas seem to be more affected by respiratory symptoms than the rest of the population (blocked nose, fatigue during exercise, regular cough, shortness of breath, expectoration/spitting). Shortness of breath, even at rest, is particularly common among 18-24 year-olds: 20% of them say they suffer from it, 9 points more than the national average. Furthermore, 56% of French people with at least one respiratory symptom live in cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants. In addition, nearly one in two young people (48%), aged 25 to 34, say they have been diagnosed with or are subject to a respiratory disease in France.
38% of 18-24 year olds think that asthma is not “serious”!
Asthma still causes nearly 900 deaths and 60,000 hospitalizations each year. In France, as in other industrialized countries, the prevalence of asthma continues to increase. It is now estimated at more than 6.7% of the population, or more than 4 million people, half of whom are children, for whom asthma is the main chronic disease.
According to the Fondation du souffle survey, 59% of French people think that being out of breath when walking when you have asthma is normal… and this figure reaches 70% among those over 65. This is false: in reality, in well-controlled asthmatics, shortness of breath does not appear outside of attacks, which can manifest themselves in different ways depending on the individual (coughing, chest tightness, wheezing, etc.). Some prejudices persist: nearly 29% of young people under 35 think that you cannot do physical activity when you have asthma. It is quite the opposite, as a sedentary lifestyle contributes to the aggravation of many diseases, including respiratory diseases.
How’s your breathing?
A survey conducted across the country among a thousand people allowed the Foundation to test its Soufflotest on a large scale. This test analyses around twenty criteria such as sleep, physical activity, smoking, lifestyle habits and family history, in order to establish a map of respiratory risks in France and to promote individual awareness. One figure stands out: 60% of participants have moderate to high respiratory risks, with a rate reaching 70% among those under 35.
The Fondation du Souffle, recognized as a Public Utility, invites you to test your respiratory health. Answering this questionnaire takes 5 minutes.
* Law No. 96-1236 of December 30, 1996 on air and the rational use of energy is the basis of the policy to combat air pollution in France. Its first article states the right of “everyone to breathe healthy air that is not harmful to their health”
