How Barbershops Could Play a Role in Lowering Blood Pressure

A new study suggests that barbershops can provide more than just a hair trim; they can also help improve the health of their patrons. The report, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that black men who visited a barbershop with a pharmacist-led blood pressure program had significantly better blood pressure levels six months later. Black men have the highest rates of high blood pressure compared to any other racial, ethnic or gender group. They are also much less likely to go to the doctor compared to black women. In this experiment and others, public health interventions have targeted barbershops in order to improve the health of the men who visit them. The researchers enrolled 319 black men from 52 different barbershops in Los Angeles County. The men in the study—who were 35 to 79 years old—had systolic blood pressure measurements of 140 or more. Normal blood pressure levels are 120/80 or less, and high blood pressure levels are 140/90 or higher. Each man was assigned either to a control group or to a program, where his barber would recommend that he meet with a trained pharmacist at the barbershop. That pharmacist would measure the men’s blood pressure, encourage lifestyle changes and prescribe blood pressure medication. MORE: Almost Half of Americans Have High Blood Pressure Under New Guidelines In the control group, the barbers talked to the men about blood pressure and healthy lifestyle changes and encouraged them to see a h...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized healthytime public health Source Type: news