Barber-led sexual health education intervention for Black male adolescents and their fathers.

OBJECTIVE

To explore barbers' attitudes and beliefs regarding the feasibility and acceptability of a barber- led STI/HIV risk reduction intervention for fathers and their preadolescent and adolescent sons.

DESIGN AND SAMPLE

A qualitative descriptive design was used. Twenty-two barbers were recruited from barbershops and a barber school in central North Carolina.

MEASURES

A combination of five focus groups and two key informant interviews were conducted.

RESULTS

The following themes were generated: (1) The barbershop was embraced as a venue for an adolescent sexual health father-son intervention, (2) Barbers desired more information about STIs and HIV among Black male youth, (3) The use of incentives to engage barbers and fathers was important, and (4) Time commitment of barbers for a barber-led intervention varied.

CONCLUSION

The trust established between barbers and the Black community presents an opportunity for pre-adolescent and adolescent STI/HIV risk reduction programs that include the role of fathers. Intervention programs can be tailored to address this important intervention opportunity.