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

NCT ID: NCT00325533

Last Updated: 2014-06-12

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 2319 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2006-05-31
• Study Completion Date: 2009-06-30

Brief Summary

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.

Detailed 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.

Conditions

Hypertension

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Screening & Enhanced Intervention

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.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Baseline BP Screening

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Barbers in the barbershops in the experimental arm will be trained to accurately measure and interpret blood pressure (BP). Each barber will offer a BP check to customers with each haircut, complete an encounter form after each haircut, discuss the BP reading with the customer, identify customers with elevated BP, and refer customers with elevated BP to a regular physician or other primary provider for long-term BP management. Each time a customer with elevated BP goes to a regular medical provider, he receives a free haircut, and the referring barber receives a monetary bonus.

Intensive 10-week Blood Pressure Screening

Intervention Type: OTHER

Intensive 10-week Blood Pressure Screening

Screening

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.

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Intensive 10-week Blood Pressure Screening

Intervention Type: OTHER

Intensive 10-week Blood Pressure Screening

Interventions

Baseline BP Screening

Barbers in the barbershops in the experimental arm will be trained to accurately measure and interpret blood pressure (BP). Each barber will offer a BP check to customers with each haircut, complete an encounter form after each haircut, discuss the BP reading with the customer, identify customers with elevated BP, and refer customers with elevated BP to a regular physician or other primary provider for long-term BP management. Each time a customer with elevated BP goes to a regular medical provider, he receives a free haircut, and the referring barber receives a monetary bonus.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Intensive 10-week Blood Pressure Screening

Intensive 10-week Blood Pressure Screening

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

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

Exclusion Criteria

• Does not speak English

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: MALE
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

NIH

Sponsor Role: collaborator

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Donald W. Reynolds Foundation

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Principal Investigators

Ronald G. Victor, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Locations

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Dallas, Texas, United States

Countries

United States

References

Rader F, Elashoff RM, Niknezhad S, Victor RG. Differential treatment of hypertension by primary care providers and hypertension specialists in a barber-based intervention trial to control hypertension in Black men. Am J Cardiol. 2013 Nov 1;112(9):1421-6. doi: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2013.07.004. Epub 2013 Aug 23.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 23978276 (View on PubMed)

Victor RG, Ravenell JE, Freeman A, Leonard D, Bhat DG, Shafiq M, Knowles P, Storm JS, Adhikari E, Bibbins-Domingo K, Coxson PG, Pletcher MJ, Hannan P, Haley RW. Effectiveness of a barber-based intervention for improving hypertension control in black men: the BARBER-1 study: a cluster randomized trial. Arch Intern Med. 2011 Feb 28;171(4):342-50. doi: 10.1001/archinternmed.2010.390. Epub 2010 Oct 25.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 20975012 (View on PubMed)

Victor RG, Ravenell JE, Freeman A, Bhat DG, Storm JS, Shafiq M, Knowles P, Hannan PJ, Haley R, Leonard D. A barber-based intervention for hypertension in African American men: design of a group randomized trial. Am Heart J. 2009 Jan;157(1):30-6. doi: 10.1016/j.ahj.2008.08.018.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 19081393 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

R01HL080582

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

55341

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: secondary_id

R01HL080582-01A2

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

470

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id