End of year Research Experience
Within the United States, community health initiatives gained traction during the mid-1960s. It was at this time that government programs implemented the use of “neighborhood health aides” to go out into communities and improve the health of migrant farmworkers, the urban poor, Native Americans, and other underserved populations (Witmer et al. 1995).
The introduction of direct community work served as a means of educating, providing aid, and helping to end health issues that could be avoided or at least made easier to manage.
The personal interactions that stem from community health initiatives allow for greater perspective to be acquired. Data gathered from such is not limited to just numbers, but rather is expanded by the experiences of a community. By gaining a mutual understanding with communities about their way of living, the barriers they face, and the resources they have available, solutions tailored to each community’s needs can be provided.
With regard to African American men, it is becoming more common to see barbershops becoming the hub for community health initiatives.
As mentioned in Barbershops and Preventative Health: A Case of Embedded Education, “ [barbershops] were (1) non-medical settings, free of ‘negative psychological baggage’; and (2) places of connection, loyalty, and trust where patrons already discussed topics associated with high blood pressure (stress, food, relationships, and being a Black man in America)”
To the left is Dr. Cuts, owned by Desmond Romeo. Dr. Cuts is one of the shops that is known to partner with community health initiatives in New York, such as working alongside the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health.
The shops, and the barbers who operate from them, participate in health initiatives with their community’s best intentions in mind. In a New York Times article, it was stated that “Dr. Cuts’s customers have the same kind of loyalty as to a trusted doctor.”
With all of the affiliated shops participating in our study, this same loyalty is present: of customers being loyal to their barbers, and the barbers being loyal to their community.
Brownsville, the neighborhood our study is based out of, has a population of 61,161 people (New York City Neighborhood Health Atlas). Of that population, 78.2% are people who identify as African American. According to the NYC DOH, 13% of adults in Brownsville have diabetes and there has been 729.5 cases of preventable diabetes hospitalizations per 100,000 people (435 more than the average amount recorded for New York City).
There has been mixed feelings from community members about whether Brownsville has enough healthy food choices. Some tout that fast food and restaurants that lack delicious, healthy options are too common. Others believe that it isn’t an issue, with options such as the Brownsville Community Culinary Center, 8 farmers markets, and natural juice spots being present. However, according to the DOH, the community has a supermarket to bodega ratio of 1:15. Bodegas are not as likely to carry affordable and healthy options, and with bodegas outnumbering supermarkets it will be more likely that people will make due with what’s available and affordable. To add on, according to a 2017 New York Daily News article, “ four in 10 Brownsville residents don’t live within walking distance of a supermarket…”
It goes without saying that Brownsville is not treated as well as other neighborhoods are. On my first day as a research associate I learned that there were only 3 banks available in the community. The lack of resources provided to Brownsville is a threat to the neighborhood’s growth and affect all those residing in the community.
Through my time as a research associate, I remember the confusion painted across faces whenever I asked “would you like to check your blood sugar?” The question wasn’t confusing, but the location, a barbershop, is what caught people off guard. Some said yes without a moment of hesitation; others would decline and maybe warm up to the idea after seeing others participate or after getting a push from their barber.
There were many moments in which community members expressed their appreciation for the study and for helping them get them focused on better taking care of their health. There were also moments of push back, of course with good reason considering the historically bad experiences minorities have had with medical research in the past. Also who wouldn’t be a bit apprehensive at the idea of getting pricked in the finger by a lancet while in a barbershop (it’s not too often you hear of that). Regardless of whether push-back or appreciation, each person was offered the opportunity and given a chance to find out where they stood in terms of their HbA1c level.
The interview always stood out most to me. It was where everyone opened up. Barbers would shout from across the room in excitement to hear from a participant about how they did. Participants would go on and talk about their family, their favorite foods, the sports they loved, work, you name it. The time spent in front of the mic was the opportunity for people to tell their story and add to the pot an accurate image of the community they knew best.
Something to consider moving forward is fostering more relationships with different businesses in the community, and even encouraging relations between businesses. Many of the men who participated in our study expressed interest in going to the gym or engaging in other forms of exercise, but lacked a partner who they feel can keep them motivated, hold them accountable, and be available when they were. Many of these men work long hours, day and or night — time is very limited for them and not all businesses may cater to that. Fostering relations between barbershops and 24 hour gyms, for example, can lead to programs that may offer discounted rates (if a person is a customer of X barbershop, he can be provided a discounted membership at Y gym). Having Business to Business partnerships that encourages healthy living will not only lead to an increase in business for both establishments but may also help in providing these men with options tailored to their needs.
