DRIVE4COPD kicked off a new social media competition aimed at increasing the number of people screened for risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Led by celebrity ambassadors NASCAR Nationwide Series™ and IndyCar Driver Danica Patrick and Grammy Award-winning country music star Patty Loveless, the campaign pits NASCAR® against the Country Music Association (CMA) to see who can get the most fans screened during the week leading up to the Great American Screen Off on November 4, 2011.

CMA is a DRIVE4COPD partnering organization and DRIVE4COPD is the Official Health Initiative of NASCAR. Using Twitter, emails to fans, Facebook, and other tools, each team will encourage their fans and followers to take the screener, share it with loved ones, and educate others about COPD.

“Last year the Great American Screen Off took on four cities to see where we could get the most people screened. This year we’re going further and taking it nationwide to help find the millions who may be at risk for COPD and don’t know it,” said Patrick, whose grandmother suffered from COPD. “My friendly competition with Patty is about making a difference and motivating people to take that first step to find out if they may be at risk, and it can be done right in the privacy of their own home.”

The social media campaign is part of a series of activities taking place to heighten awareness of COPD and individual risk. The competition will culminate on November 4, the official date of the Second Annual Great American Screen Off, which is believed to be the largest single day dedicated to screening for risk and raising awareness of COPD.

On November 4, DRIVE4COPD partnering organizations encourage all Americans to wear the color orange—the new official color of COPD—to remind others to be screened and to help increase awareness.

Source: DRIVE4COPD