World AS Day 2022

This year our World AS Day social media campaign reached 11.5 million and our posts and tweets were engaged with 1.4 million times. Excitingly, that is just from ASIF’s digital channels. The number of people who were exposed to World AS Day messaging is much larger than that, when considering the numbers reached through our members’ social media pages; the pages of our industry partners; and of course, the posts and tweets of people living with axSpA themselves.

More than 33,000 people visited the ASIF website. Our Members’ Symptom Checker Questionnaires in six languages, were the most clicked links on the website. Visitors also read our key messages, downloaded resources; and viewed the social media wall, which pulled together posts and tweets that used #WorldASDay2022.

These are just some of the many messages of support and hope left on the ‘Leave your Footprint’ webpage. Each of the footprints shares a powerful message and has become an inspiring place to visit.

Visit Leave your Footprint

Walk Your AS Off

Participants from 41 countries around the world participated in Walk Your AS Off this year.

The 335 participants in 45 teams walked over 40,000 steps. The event raises awareness each year as people post about their walks on social media – often including their personal story to explain why they are participating in the initiative. It is inspiring to read posts, like the one pictured left, about why people chose to take part.

A lot of the participants have participated in the event for many years. Some raise awareness and funds for their local axSpA organisation while others use it as motivation to get out and move every day during May – hopefully starting a lifelong habit.

More than 3,100 people from 103 countries participated in the virtual Global Spondyloarthritis Summit hosted by the SAA. More than 2,000 of the registrants live with axSpA.

The most watched presentations were: Micah Yu speaking about Arthritis and Nutrition (watched in total 850 times) and Angelo Papachristos’ presentation on Exercise, Physical Activity and Staying Active with SpA, which was viewed 568 times.

The majority of participants were from the US (2,006), with participants also from Canada (205), Australia (90), the UK (85), Bulgaria (81), India (65), Norway (62) and 97 other countries.

ASIF had a virtual stand at which we displayed leaflets from many of our member organisations, of which 170 were downloaded. Our Talk to be Heard videos were the most popular videos viewed 230 times.

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