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Publication Profiles

Establishing an Academic-Community Partnership to Explore the Potential of Barbers and Barbershops in the Southern United States to Address Racial Disparities in HIV Care Outcomes for Black Men Living With HIV

Citation

Nwakoby C, Pierce LJ, Crawford R, et al. Establishing an Academic-Community Partnership to Explore the Potential of Barbers and Barbershops in the Southern United States to Address Racial Disparities in HIV Care Outcomes for Black Men Living With HIV. Am J Mens Health. 2023;17(1):15579883231152114. doi:10.1177/15579883231152114

Implementation stage:

Pre-Implementation

Implementation outcomes reported:

Not applicable

Continuum target addressed:

HIV testing, Linkage to HIV care, Engagement in treatment (including retention and re-engagement), Linkage to preventative care

Geography:

Non-priority jurisdiction

Study Participant Classification:

Community member(s)

Plain Language Objectives

The researchers wanted to explore whether Nashville barbers and barbershops could help share HIV information and connect Black men with prevention and care. They provided brief training and asked barbers about barriers, opportunities, and future roles.

Plain Language Abstract

Black men in the Southern United States experience large disparities in HIV diagnoses and outcomes, while trusted community settings may offer new ways to share health information. Researchers formed a Nashville academic-community partnership and recruited 13 barbers—12 men and one woman—for brief HIV training and a focus-group discussion. Before and after the training, they measured HIV knowledge and stigma. Average stigma was low at 1.8 of 15 points. HIV knowledge increased for eight participants (67%) after the lesson. Barbers described delayed health-care seeking among Black men, fears that HIV testing or care could reveal a person’s status, and concerns about negative community stereotypes. Participants were enthusiastic about more training and believed their communication skills and client relationships could support roles as health educators or navigators. They suggested combining HIV information with other health topics. The findings identify barbershops as a promising community resource, but this small formative study did not test a barbershop intervention or measure effects on testing, stigma, care engagement, or HIV outcomes. Knowledge changes were immediate and lacked a comparison group.

Key Takeaways

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