Barbershop Talk: Reducing Excessive Alcohol Consumption Among Men

NCT ID: NCT05609344

Last Updated: 2025-08-11

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 600 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2023-06-26
• Study Completion Date: 2027-07-31

Brief Summary

Unhealthy drinking is considered one of the top 10 public health concerns in the United States. Not only has heavy drinking been linked to poorer overall health and the chances of getting cancer and cardiovascular diseases, but it also causes about 88,000 deaths and 2.5 million years of potential life lost each year in the U.S. Men living in rural areas tend to drink more. In Arkansas, a rural state with high rates of unhealthy drinking, men are more likely to report heavy drinking (4 or more drinks a day) and to drink more when binge drinking. Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) is an evidence-based, multilevel, integrated public health approach for early intervention and timely referral to more intensive treatment for those with substance use disorders. SBIRTs have been successfully used in primary care and emergency settings.

However, men in rural areas may lack access to evidence-based care for unhealthy drinking due to many factors, including limited healthcare providers and insurance standing. Given the increased chances of death and illness linked to harmful drinking among rural men and the serious health consequences involved, it is urgent to improve access to evidence-based care. This can be achieved by expanding services into community settings that men in rural areas are more likely to visit, such as barbershops. Thus, the goals of this proposed Hybrid Type 2 pragmatic effectiveness-implementation trial are to: 1) test the effectiveness of an evidence-based SBIRT intervention for use within barbershops (Barbershop Talk); and 2) generate the scientific evidence needed to implement SBIRTs in "real world" settings. Data from this study will further our understanding of how to reduce the chances of experiencing alcohol attributable morbidity and mortality among men living in rural areas. Data will also enhance our understanding of strategies that can improve the implementation of evidence-based care models in non-clinical settings, thereby extending the reach of evidence-based care to rural communities with high needs.

Conditions

Drinking Behavior; Drinking Excessive; Drinking

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Primary Study Purpose: HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
• Blinding Strategy: DOUBLE

Study Groups

SBIRT

Each intervention barbershop, will hold screening days, where a trained community health worker will be onsite to provide Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT).

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

SBIRT

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Low risk individuals will receive an educational pamphlet about alcohol use and the impact on health. Moderate Risk individuals will receive a brief alcohol intervention. High risk individuals will receive the brief alcohol intervention and be referred to specialty treatment.

Usual-care

Six months after completion of Time 1, barbershops in the usual-care arm will receive the intervention.

Group Type: OTHER

SBIRT

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Low risk individuals will receive an educational pamphlet about alcohol use and the impact on health. Moderate Risk individuals will receive a brief alcohol intervention. High risk individuals will receive the brief alcohol intervention and be referred to specialty treatment.

Interventions

SBIRT

Low risk individuals will receive an educational pamphlet about alcohol use and the impact on health. Moderate Risk individuals will receive a brief alcohol intervention. High risk individuals will receive the brief alcohol intervention and be referred to specialty treatment.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• male
• aged 18 or older
• resident of Arkansas

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

Sponsors

University of Arkansas

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Tiffany F Haynes, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Arkansas

Locations

UAMS

Little Rock, Arkansas, United States

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

United States

Central Contacts

Camille Hart, MPH

Role: CONTACT

chart@uams.edu

5015266076

Tiffany F Haynes, PhD

Role: CONTACT

TFHaynes@uams.edu

(501) 526-6613

Facility Contacts

Camille Hart

Role: primary

chart@uams.edu

501-526-6076

Other Identifiers

273439

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id