Development and pilot testing of a barbershop based HIV/STI prevention program for young adult African American men

Background: Young adult African American heterosexual men continue to be at high risk for HIV and STIs. However, few interventions have been developed to meet the needs of this population. Barbershops represent an important community venue to reach young adult African American men. We will describe the development of a theory-based, gender specific, culturally competent behavioral intervention delivered in barbershops to reduce the risk of HIV and STIs among African American men ages 18-24.

Methods: The intervention draws upon the Theory of Planned Behavior and utilized a community participatory approach to inform the development of the intervention. Focus groups with young men, barbers, and barbershop owners were also conducted in order to enhance the content and design of the intervention.

Results: Barbers were selected as appropriate facilitators for the program. The HIV/STI risk reduction intervention included four (twenty minute) modules to be delivered to the young men while getting a haircut. An innovative technological approach was utilized-as all modules were developed into applications on iPads. Barbers were required to attend a 4 hour training session to enhance their ability to implement the intervention via iPads successfully. Barbershop owners also agreed to host the program in their shops on selected closed days.

Conclusions: The development of this innovative HIV prevention intervention for young adult, heterosexual, African American men 18-24 represents a significant contribution to the gap in the literature. As a high-risk population, this intervention has great public health significance for the health of African American men and their sexual partners.