title: Methods for fostering a community academic partnership in a firefighter community.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe how a community academic partnership (CAP) created a cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention program for firefighters.
  
  
  METHODS
  Principles of community based participatory research (CBPR) were integrated with intervention mapping (IM) to guide the development of a physical activity program.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Key elements of the CAP program include instituting annual CVD screenings; creating a department-wide program and a pilot intervention for high-risk firefighters; training firefighters to become peer health mentors; improving access to physical activity equipment; instituting policy to promote physical activity, and validating instrumentation for assessing cardiorespiratory fitness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Integrating CBPR with IM was an efficacious approach for engaging firefighters in research for developing an ecological approach to cardiovascular health in firefighters.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Education and Behavior, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA. tdelisle@hhp.ufl.edu
authors.forename: Anthony T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Delisle
authors.forename: Alexis L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Delisle
authors.forename: Beth H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Chaney
authors.forename: Christine B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Stopka
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Northcutt
mesh_terms: D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D055812:Community-Based Participatory Research; D003159:Community-Institutional Relations; D061388:Firefighters; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D015397:Program Evaluation