Black Barbershops Can Help Their Clientele to Reduce Blood Pressure

In the U.S., certain populations are at much higher risk for uncontrolled blood pressure (BP). In early 2018, researchers reported benefit after 6 months with an innovative pharmacist-led intervention administered in barbershops with a non-Hispanic black clientele (NCT02321618; NEJM JW Cardiol Apr 2018 and N Engl J Med 2018; 378:1291). The investigators now report 12-month follow-up data.

In the study, 52 black-owned barbershops were randomized to a control approach where barbers provided education or to an intervention where barbers encouraged patrons to meet with pharmacists trained by the American Society of Hypertension (ASH) in the barbershops. There were 319 black male barbershop patrons with systolic BP (SBP) ≥140 mm Hg. At 6 months, …