Black Barbers Help Blood Pressure Control

Barbers can help get black men with high blood pressure to get treatment, a study finds. The study focused on 17 black-owned barbershops. Customers received blood pressure checks before the study began. Eight shops got pamphlets about high blood pressure to give to customers. In the other nine shops, barbers were trained to provide blood pressure checks. If pressure was high, they urged the customer to visit a doctor. They also shared stories about customers who got treatment. Barbers were paid for all of this. Customers got a free haircut if they sought treatment and brought a card signed by the doctor back to the shop. The barber got $50 for each customer who did this. The study lasted 10 months. Blood pressure control increased in both groups of shops. But results were better where barbers tested blood pressure.