CAN BARBERS CUT BLOOD PRESSURE TOO?
A barber-run program to improve the awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension in African American men

Dallas, Texas

Principal Investigator:
Ronald G. Victor, M.D.

By making blood pressure checks a routine part of getting a haircut,
barbers can cut blood pressure too!

NEWS RELEASES

"Paul Hess, Doris Duke Fellow under the leadership of Dr. Ronald Victor, wins poster award in Population Science at the American Heart Association meeting in New Orleans, LA, November 2004"

"Dallas barbers become blood-pressure specialists to help cut hypertension in African-American men"

PROJECT HISTORY

In 1939, the insurance industry recognized hypertension as a major risk factor for premature death.  Hypertension (high blood pressure) is more common in African American men than any other demographic group and constitutes a higher risk factor for cardiovascular illness and death. Because too few African American men go to doctors, we need to go outside the traditional healthcare setting to solve this urgent public health problem.

Barbershops have long stood at the center of social life for black men. Using a medical team in a pilot project ("Cut Your Pressure") sponsored by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, researchers from UT Southwestern's Dallas Heart Study showed that barbershops can be effective places to improve detection and treatment of high blood pressure in African American men. This spin-off program will now be turned over to barbers. Eight barbers in the Dallas area have already agreed to offer a free blood pressure check during every haircut, followed by education and, if needed, appropriate referral to medical care.

Funded by a regional community grant from Aetna Foundation and a research grant from Pfizer, Inc., the Barbershop program focuses solely on African American men, the demographic group with the highest rates and greatest severity of suffering.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The primary goal is to make barbers in the African American community health educators. Specifically, we will train, equip, and reimburse barbers to:  (1) record their clients' blood pressure (with an automated monitor) in the barber chair, (2) educate their clients about high blood pressure using motivational (peer experience) stories, and (3) identify those clients with untreated high blood pressure and refer them to medical care.

There are an estimated 125,000 black men in Dallas County. Of these, 40% or 50,000 have high blood pressure before age 65, and 50% are unaware, 65% go untreated, and 85% do not have their blood pressure normalized. The result is needless death and disability from heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure. Our innovative program will empower barbers to make an impact on the health of the men in their community.