Effectiveness of a Barbershop-Based Program to Improve High Blood Pressure Control and Awareness in Black Men

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Status: Completed

Conditions: Hypertension

Treatments: Other: Intensive 10-week Blood Pressure Screening; Behavioral: Baseline BP Screening

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT00325533

470

R01HL080582 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

55341

R01HL080582-01A2 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Details and patient eligibility

About

Black men in the United States have a greater risk of developing high blood pressure than men of any other ethnic or racial group. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a high blood pressure detection and medical referral program conducted by barbers in predominantly Black barbershops at increasing awareness and lowering blood pressure levels among their Black male customers.

Full description

High blood pressure affects approximately 35% of Black men in the United States. This may be due to the fact that Black men frequently have an unusually high number of risk factors for high blood pressure, including diabetes, high stress levels, and increased salt intake and sensitivity. While high blood pressure can often be controlled through diet, lifestyle changes, or medication, it is a chronic asymptomatic medical condition for which individuals should remain under the care of a regular medical provider. A predominantly Black barbershop may be an optimum and receptive setting for an intervention that focuses on improving the detection and treatment of high blood pressure among Black men. In this study, barbers, deemed as influential peers, will be trained to continually monitor their customers' blood pressure, deliver health messages designed to change risk perception and ideas about healthcare utilization, and provide social support for changes in healthcare-seeking behavior and blood pressure levels. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a barbershop-based intervention at increasing blood pressure awareness and lowering blood pressure levels among Black male customers. With over 18,000 Black barbershops in the United States, the results from this study may be extremely influential in improving the diagnosis and treatment of high blood pressure in Black men.

This study will enroll Black men who are regular customers at a participating barbershop. Each barbershop will be randomly assigned to either a 10-month intervention group or a control group. Nurses will train the intervention group barbers to measure blood pressure and deliver health messages related to blood pressure control during each customer's visit. Before and after the intervention, study researchers will interview barbers and customers over an 8-week period to collect information on blood pressure control. A 12-month follow-up visit will include assessments of blood pressure levels, customer recognition of elevated blood pressure levels, and the number of customers receiving regular medical care.

Enrollment: 2,319 patients

Sex: Male

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• African American
• Regular customer at one of the participating barbershops

Exclusion criteria

• Does not speak English

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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2,319 participants in 2 patient groups

Screening & Enhanced Intervention

Experimental group

Description:

After an intensive 10-week baselne screening, the enhanced intervention group barbers will be trained to measure blood pressure and deliver health messages related to blood pressure control during each customer's visit.

Treatment:

Other: Intensive 10-week Blood Pressure Screening

Behavioral: Baseline BP Screening

Screening

Active Comparator group

Description:

After the intensive 10-week baseline BP screening (an intervention in itself), the barbershops in the comparison arm received a continual supply of American Heart Association pamphlets on Hypertension in African Americans.

Treatment:

Other: Intensive 10-week Blood Pressure Screening