Introduction and Objective: Black women in the U.S. women are disproportionately affected by type 2 diabetes. This disparity partly stems from gaps in clinical diabetes risk screening and education. Hair salons are community settings that are frequented by Black women and could offer unique opportunities to implement diabetes education and prediabetes screening in a trusted environment. The objective of this study was to explore diabetes risk screening and education intervention in hair salons.Methods: A qualitative descriptive study was conducted with hairstylists and salon clients. Participants provided informed consent and were compensated for their time. Focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews were audio-recorded via Zoom and transcribed verbatim by Rev.com. Transcripts were coded and thematically analyzed using Dedoose software.Results: Salon clients (n=50) and hairstylists (n=10) identified as Black women. On average, stylists were licensed for 12 years and >50% were salon owners. Participants described experiences with clinic-based diabetes risk screening noting challenges in accessing healthcare services and unsatisfactory communication from healthcare providers. Themes centering salon-based diabetes risk screening and education included trusted relationships between stylists and clients, accessibility of salons, and the cultural significance of the salon for Black women. Participants discussed a need for culturally tailored diabetes education and ensuring privacy, logistical, and liability issues are addressed for salon-based interventions.Conclusion: Hair salons are culturally relevant, highly accessible community settings that can be engaged to implement diabetes risk screening and education for Black women. By leveraging stylist-client relationships, and tailoring education materials, salon-based prediabetes risk screening interventions can mitigate barriers to healthcare, aid in early detection and intervention, and enhance health equity.
K.N.B. Palmer: None. R. Yurika: None. A. Suero-Davis: None. K. Pryor: None.
American Diabetes Association (11-22-JDFHD-04)
Source link
Leave a Reply