The overall aim of the programme is to establish a worldwide platform for the study of Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease(COPD) within mainly low and middle income countries. This platform will be used to launch local studies that are standardised in their methods and co-ordinated in their approach. The specific objectives are:

Scientific Objectives

• to measure the prevalence and burden of chronic obstructive lung disease across the world using high quality spirometry

• to assess the main causes of the condition in different environments

• to assess the burden associated with the disease in relation to impaired quality of life, activity limitation, respiratory symptoms and use of health services

• to provide information for input to an economic model of COPD [BOLD Economic Model ]

• to assess the appropriateness of care provided

Operational Objectives

• To build upon the work of the BOLD Initiative to date (2002-2007), in order to improve our understanding of  COPD

• make standardised methods available to as many low and middle income countries as are interested

• Maintain an Operations Centre to provide oversight, training materials, quality control,  data system and data analysis

• Use prevalence and burden of disease data to support the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) and the WHO Global Alliance Against Respiratory Disease (GARD) Program.

• to facilitate the collection of biological samples

• to facilitate future longitudinal studies