Who can participate in The Carolina Blue Project?

Any sworn police officer, police cadet, state capitol police, state highway patrol, homeland security officer, detention officer, deputy officer, any law enforcement officer in training, or any type of law enforcement officer , who are at least 18 years old and work in the North Carolina law enforcement departments are welcome to participate in this project. We plan to work with 500 officers.

What do participants need to do in The Carolina Blue Project?

Officers who participate in The Carolina Blue Project will complete a two-part assessment as follows:

1. online assessments via REDCap, an online survey measuring work-related stress, psychological distress, eating behaviors, and cardiovascular health history. It's estimated that officers will need about 60 to 90 minutes to complete all questionnaires. We will provide the survey link to the officers, and they can complete it using their smartphone, tablet, or computer at their convenience. Once the officers start the survey, they can save it and finish it later.
2. a 15-minute in-person assessment for cardiovascular disease risk factors. At the end of your online survey, you will be asked if you would like to schedule a 15-minute in-person assessment. This includes measuring body height, weight, waist and hip circumferences, blood pressure, using a drop of blood from a fingertip for fasting blood triglycerides, HDL/LDL cholesterol, and glucose. We can meet you at your work department to complete the in-person assessments, or you can visit the UNC Biobehavioral Laboratory at 120 Medical Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 to complete the assessments (parking included).

What benefits will the officers and police and sheriff departments receive?

1. Each officer who completes both sections of the assessment will receive a $100 Amazon gift card.
2. Officers also get the results of blood test and blood pressure, along with medical advice, at no charge.
3. Once our data collection among NC police and sheriff departments is finished, we'll report the results of our research to you.
4. NC law enforcement departments participating in The Carolina Blue Project will receive intervention programs from the UNC team. The programs are designed to help officers cope with work-related stress and unhealthy eating, and learn how to improve cardiovascular health to avoid heart attack and stroke.