LINKS was led by researchers from the Arizona Prevention Research Center (AzPRC), funded by the CDC. To better understand the assets and needs of our priority communities, we work closely with a Community Action Board (CAB). Our CAB includes 25 members from stakeholder organizations throughout the region. CAB members provide feedback on intervention design and protocol, translation, and dissemination.

Together we worked with CAB members to balance the interests of our community partners and our research needs. As a result the Latino population was identified as the primary focus of the LINKS study. LINKS eligibility criteria included: adults 21 years of age or older who were not pregnant, did not have a serious mental illness, had a chronic disease or a pre-chronic disease including pre-diabetes, glucose intolerance or diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol. LINKS took place in Pima, Santa Cruz, and Yuma Counties at county health departments and federally qualified health centers. These three counties are located along the U.S./Mexico border where residents face a disproportionate burden of chronic disease.