CHAP At-A-Glance

The Cardiovascular Health Awareness Program (CHAP)  is evidence-based, made-in-Canada, inexpensive and easy to implement. 

Watch this 2 minute video for a quick overview: http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xlMeXTCbfs&feature=youtu.be

How does it work?  Communities set up CHAP initiatives as collaborations between volunteer groups and health or social service organizations. Volunteers are trained and blood pressure is measured following Hypertension Canada recommendations.  Participants are assessed for cardiovascular disease risks in familiar settings such as pharmacies, places of worship, social housing buildings and other community spaces.  With participants’ permission, blood pressure readings and CVD risk profiles are shared with their physician and pharmacist.  Participants are linked with local programs and services around modifiable risk factors.

CHAP is based on twenty years of evidence. Read the articles below for a summary of CHAP’s impact and relevance. Additional research is also available.


Kaczorowski, J., Chambers, L. W., Dolovich, L., Paterson, J. M., Karwalajtys, T., Gierman, T., Farrell, B., McDonough, B., Thabane, L., Tu, K., Zagorski, B., Goeree, R., Levitt, C. A., Hogg, W., Laryea, S., Carter, M. A., Cross, D., & Sebaldt, R. J. (2011) Improving cardiovascular health at the population level: A 39 community cluster-randomized trial of the Cardiovascular Health Awareness Program (CHAP). BMJ, 7, 342-d442. doi:10.1136/bmj.d442

Goeree, R., Von Keyserling, C., Burke, N., He, J., Kaczorowski, J., Chambers, L., Dolovich, L., Paterson, J. M.,& Zagorski, B. (2013) Economic Appraisal of a Community-wide Cardiovascular Health Awareness Program (CHAP). Value in Health, 16(1), 39–45. doi: 10.1016/j.jval.2012.09.002

Dahrouge S, Kaczorowski J, Dolovich L,Paterson M, Thabane L, Tu K, et al. (2018) Economic Appraisal of a Community-wide Long term outcomes of cluster randomized trial to improve cardiovascular health at population level: The Cardiovascular Health Awareness Program (CHAP) PLoS ONE 13(9): e0201802.  https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0201802