Welcome to CHAP!

CHAP has been in existence since 2000 and was developed through a number of pilot projects, scientific trials, and community-wide demonstrations.

CHAP…

Is an innovative program designed to promote cardiovascular health awareness including blood pressure monitoring among seniors to prevent illness and death associated with cardiovascular disease.

Connects community-based health promotion and prevention activities for seniors with the care provided by their family physician and pharmacist, and involves public health representatives, volunteers, the local media and community organizations.

Aims to bring all individuals and organizations together within a community to work as partners to promote and actively participate in the prevention of cardiovascular disease.

The goal of CHAP is to implement a volunteer peer health educator program of cardiovascular health awareness and blood pressure monitoring in communities across Ontario and elsewhere.

CHAP is made available, free of charge, to all senior community residents. It offers opportunities for multiple blood pressure readings and the promotion of healthy eating, physical activity and smoking cessation, all modifiable risk factors for heart disease and stroke.

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3.1 Background

The Problem

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in Canada. High blood pressure or hypertension affects 1 in 5 Canadian adults and is a modifiable risk factor for heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease. Nine out of 10 Canadians will develop hypertension during their lifetime. High blood pressure has no warning signs or symptoms – which is why it is often called a ‘silent killer.’ Despite efforts to overcome barriers to high blood pressure detection and management, high blood pressure remains one of the most significant health problems facing Canadians.

Blood pressure can be challenging to assess accurately because of its natural variability and measurement challenges. Some people have higher blood pressure readings in their doctor's office because they feel anxious in this setting. Others have normal blood pressure when measured in the doctor’s office, but have high blood pressure in other situations.

CHAP participants are invited to measure their blood pressure with assistance from a trained volunteer in a familiar community setting. Plus, CHAP participants can take home a copy of their results and give their permission to have their health information obtained at a CHAP session shared with their family physician and pharmacist. This allows physicians and pharmacists to follow-up with their patients if required.

A Solution

CHAP is a community-based program that brings together local family physicians, pharmacies, public health representatives, volunteers, and community organizations to work as partners to promote and actively participate in the prevention of cardiovascular disease.

The success of CHAP is based on the recruitment of all local family physicians and pharmacies to participate in the Program. Participating physicians invite all of their patients who are at risk of cardiovascular disease to attend CHAP community-based sessions using several strategies: a personal letter of invitation; or community-wide advertising.

Volunteer peer health educators (trained by community health nurses) lead CHAP community-based sessions. During the sessions, volunteers assist participants to measure their blood pressure using an accurate, portable device that is validated (for example, the BP-Tru), and record their blood pressure reading and other cardiovascular risk factor information on a Risk Profile Recording Form. With the participant’s permission, the blood pressure reading and the risk profile is forwarded to a computerized database which in turn sends the information to family physicians by fax (or mail). A copy of the blood pressure reading and risk profile is also given to each participant and to their regular pharmacist. Physicians follow up with patients where appropriate.

A community health nurse is on-call during the sessions, and a recommendation protocol, established in consultation with participating family physicians, is used to guide re-assessment of participants with very high or low readings and to ensure referral for follow-up. Additional educational materials and community-specific resources related to healthy eating, physical activity and smoking cessation are also made available at the session.

Click here to view a sample Risk Profile Recording Form (pdf)

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