Sensitive Choice: Empowering parents and carers to better manage asthma and allergies

Attention all parents and carers of loved ones living with asthma and allergies!  The National Asthma Council Australia’s Sensitive Choice program is here to support families living with asthma and allergies – discover expert information, resources and Sensitive Choice approved products to help your family achieve good asthma and allergy management. 

About asthma

Asthma is a chronic lung condition that affects the airways that carry air into our lungs. These airways have a thin layer of muscle around them. Asthma is caused by the inflammation and tightening of these muscles. The lining of the airways also becomes swollen and inflamed, leaving less space for air to pass through, making it harder to breathe. 

Sometimes people with asthma find it harder to breathe in and out, because the airways in their lungs become narrower. It is like trying to breathe through a thin straw.  At other times their breathing is normal.

How will you know if your child will have asthma? Unfortunately, the exact causes of asthma are not known, but the risk of being diagnosed with asthma partly depends on genetics, as asthma can run in families.

Asthma can be allergic or non-allergic, but allergic asthma is more common in families with a history of asthma and allergies.

Children’s risk of getting asthma seems to be increased by mothers smoking while pregnant, people smoking around babies or young children, air pollution from traffic or industry, mouldy houses, and being born premature or with a low birth weight.

Adults can also develop asthma over  time  from indoor air pollution at work or home (for example, by breathing fumes that irritate the lungs, or breathing in dusts that they are allergic to).

Asthma is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases in Australia, affecting 1 in 9 Australians (2.8 million people, including children). Asthma was the leading cause of total disease burden in children aged 1-9 years old. One in five Australians have allergies, and up to 80% of people with asthma also have allergic rhinitis, also known as ‘hay fever’.

Make a Sensitive Choice for your little ones

As a program of the National Asthma Council Australia, Sensitive Choice is committed to empowering people to live better with asthma and allergies. The blue butterfly logo helps families find products and services that are Sensitive Choice approved as asthma and allergy friendly.

Only products that have passed a stringent application process, rigorous review and have proven their potential to benefit people with asthma and allergies, can be Sensitive Choice approved.

Managing little ones with asthma and allergies can be difficult. Having a trusted range of products and services that can alleviate sensitivities makes a world of difference for parents and carers.

Products that are Sensitive Choice approved can help minimise the impacts of common asthma and allergy triggers in your home. Eliminating allergens like dust mites or pollens can reduce the risk of exposure or help prevent allergy or asthma flare-ups. 

Households without sensitivities can also benefit from using Sensitive Choice approved products, helping to create a healthier, safer home environment.

Look for the blue butterfly at the PBC Expo!

Join us at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, 18 to 19 October 2025. Look for the Sensitive Choice blue butterfly to find the right products for you and your family.

Visit our stand D24 for asthma and allergy resources, competition prizes, and information.