Barbers Help Fight High Blood Pressure

Doctors could find allies in the fight against hypertension in an unusual place. Researchers in Dallas County, Texas recruited the owners of 17 barbershops in the African American community. 45 percent of the men who came for haircuts had high blood pressure, but only 38 percent of them had it under control. The barbershops were divided into two experimental groups. One was provided with written information about hypertension. In the other group, barbers learned to measure blood pressure, encouraged patrons with hypertension to see their doctors and offered referrals for men who did not have a primary care provider. After ten months, more than half of the hypertensive men had gotten their blood pressure under control.

[Archives of Internal Medicine, online Oct. 25, 2010]