Augmenting Barbershop Initiative Health Promotion with Wearables in African-American Populations
Presentation
Overview
Overview
Description
According to the 2019 American Heart Association Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics, non-Hispanic African-American men have higher rates of hypertension (HTN) and the highest rate of HTN-related deaths of any racial, ethnic, or gender group in the United States.1 African-Americans develop cardiovascular disease (CVD) at a younger age than other ethnic groups, and because they remain undiagnosed longer, they experience increased morbidity (heart disease, kidney disease, eye disease) and mortality.2 Reducing systolic blood pressure (SBP) significantly reduces the risk of CVD and all-cause mortality.3 Exercise is significantly associated with blood pressure (BP) reduction regardless of the individual’s initial BP level, gender, physical activity level, type of exercise performed, or exercise training program.4 A number of studies have demonstrated health improvements due to monitoring health through activity trackers such as Fitbits®.5,6 Increased physical activity reduces BP and activity trackers have been shown to increase activity.7,8 Thus, wearing an activity tracker may reduce BP. While 19% of Americans reported using an activity tracker such as a Fitbit® or a smartwatch, low income, African-Americans are least likely to use them.9 Health promotion interventions have been implemented in barbershops to help reduce risk factors and promote health. Barbershops are often community centers serving diverse populations. Barbers and stylists are willing participants in health promotion activities and help enroll their customers in research studies.10 Victor and colleagues11 found significantly higher rates of HTN control in the experimental group than the control group at the 10-month follow-up of their barbershop intervention. Likewise, Hess and colleagues12 found that when barbers offered encouragement and told their success stories, their clients who received the increased exposure also demonstrated higher rates of HTN control. While this form of health outreach is becoming more common, there are no studies reporting on combining health promotion with the use of wearable activity trackers as part of a barbershop initiative. The purpose of this study was to determine feasibility of an activity tracker intervention to measure heart rate, steps, and sleep in African-Americans to determine 1) if the use of these activity trackers impacted health behaviors and BP, 2) the relationship among wearing patterns, steps, heart rate, sleep, and BP, and 3) any technical or wearability issues with the Fitbits®.
