Partnering with Barbershops to Improve Health Using Fitbits
Presentation
Overview
Overview
Description
To help reduce modifiable risk factors including hypertension in African-American men, health promotion interventions have been implemented in barbershops which are often centers of the community and serve diverse populations. While this form of health outreach is becoming more common, no studies reported combining health promotion with the use of activity trackers, such as Fitbits®, as part of a barbershop initiative. A number of studies, however, have shown health improvement due to monitoring health through activity trackers such as Fitbits®, although most have found that activity trackers are more often adopted by people who are white non-Hispanic, and have incomes over $100,000. Three faculty, 2 from the School of Nursing and one from Math and Statistics, collaborated and received a Corbett Grant to study the feasibility of distributing Fitbits® and their impact on blood pressure. This study, which is still in progress, involved a more diverse population than most reported Fitbit studies. Researchers distributed Fitbits to thirteen barbers at 3 Wilmington barbershops through a collaboration with New Hanover Regional Medical Center’s Barbershop Initiative. Participants were asked to wear the Fitbits® for a month. During that month, researchers checked in weekly to measure blood pressure and check on how the Fitbit® was working. Participants shared health concerns with the researchers both informally during these visits and in the survey they completed at the end of the study. We are currently analyzing our results and documenting our findings.
