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Published: 12 December 2006

Authors: Asher, I., & Byrnes, C.

Trying to catch our breath: The burden of preventable breathing diseases in children and young people. 

It is disturbing that many children in New Zealand suffer from breathing difficulty and respiratory diseases, and that our rates for some conditions are higher than comparable countries. What is most disturbing is that much of this burden of disease is preventable. This document discusses the context of respiratory disease in New Zealand, describes the major diseases and their effects, and recommends what can be done to reduce the burden to individual children, their families, and society, with immediate and long-term benefits. This document and the summary version were written because of serious concern among New Zealand paediatricians that these diseases should be documented and addressed. The authors of the chapters are New Zealand authorities in their field