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Background: When compared to men of other racial ethnic groups, African American men have the lowest life expectancy and bear a disproportionate burden of chronic diseases. Also, key health behaviors linked to chronic disease (e.g. physical inactivity, smoking, obesity) are higher among African American men. Innovative strategies for reaching African American men, promoting health and reducing unhealthy behaviors are needed.
Program background: FITShop (FITness in the Shop) is a two-phase, community-based participatory research (CBPR) study designed to develop and test the effectiveness of a multi-level physical activity intervention for African American men who visit barbershops. This abstract presents data on men who enrolled in the FITShop Study.
Evaluation Methods and Results: From 14 barbershops, 601 African American men enrolled in the FITShop study. Participants completed baseline surveys and health assessments (BP, BMI, grip and step test) in the shops, and monitored daily physical activity for a week using an accelerometer. Average age of enrolled men was 34 (SD=10.9); 33% were married; 69% had some college/technical education or an undergraduate degree; mean income range was $35,000 to $49,999; mean BMI was 28kgm2 (SD = 5.7); 27% met national guidelines for moderate physical activity; 24% were current smokers; and 23% ate at least 5 cups of fruits & vegetables per day.
Conclusions: When trying to enroll African Americans into health-related research studies, barbershops are an excellent place to reach men at risk for a variety of chronic diseases.
Implications for research and/or practice: One strategy for addressing disparities in health is to conduct babershop-based interventions.