CRHS #3

Photo of a CRHS researcher in a barbershop

Reducing Alcohol Use among Black Men: Barbershop SBIRT

Center:
Project Number:
3
Project Period:
09/24/2021 - 06/30/2026

Principal Investigator: Tiffany Francine Haynes, PhD, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

ClinicalTrials.gov link

Abstract

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Photo of a researcher sitting down with a participant

Unhealthy drinking is considered one of the top 10 public health concerns in the United States. Not only has heavy drinking been linked to poorer overall health, it is responsible for about 88,000 deaths and 2.5 million years of potential life lost in the United States each year. Men exposed to social disadvantage, such as Black men living in poverty, are more likely to consume more alcohol. Indeed, in Arkansas, a state with high rates of unhealthy drinking, Black men who make less than $35,000 are more likely to report heavy drinking (4 or more drinks a day) and consume more drinks when binge drinking. Further, the negative impacts of unhealthy drinking may be worse for Black men. Black men who report consuming large amounts of alcohol often experience more severe health outcomes and more negative social consequences when compared to other ethnic groups.

Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) is an evidence-based, multilevel, integrated, public health approach to the delivery of early intervention services for individuals at risk for risky drinking, and the timely referral to more intensive treatment for those who have substance abuse disorders. SBIRTs have been effectively implemented in both primary care and emergency care settings. However, structural barriers to care (i.e., insurance status, culturally competent services, racism and discrimination, etc.) may impede Black men's access to evidence-based care for unhealthy drinking located in medical settings. Given the increased risk for mortality and morbidity associated with unhealthy drinking among Black men living in poverty, coupled with the more harmful health consequences of unhealthy drinking for Black men, improving equitable access to evidence-based care by implementing care into community settings that Black men are more likely to access is urgently needed.

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Photo of Barbershop Talk logo

Thus, the goals of this proposed Hybrid Type 2 pragmatic effectiveness-implementation trial are to: 1) test the effectiveness of a previously developed, evidence-based SBIRT intervention (Barbershop Talk) for low income African American men; and 2) generate the scientific evidence needed to disseminate SBIRTs to “real world” settings. Data from this study will further our understanding on how to reduce the risk of alcohol attributable morbidity and mortality among Black men living in poverty. Data will also improve our understanding of strategies that can improve implementation of evidence-based care models in non-clinical settings; thus, extending the reach of evidence-based care to communities with the highest need.

Team

Research Team

  • Tiffany Haynes, PhD
    Principal Investigator
  • Michael Cucciare, PhD
    Alcohol Treatment
  • Taren Swindle, PhD
    Implementation Science
  • James Selig, PhD
    Biostatistics
  • Anna Huff Davis
    Community Health Worker Training
  • Camille Hart, MPH
    Program Director
  • Tamier Wells, MPH
    Program Coordinator

Steering Committee Members

  • Damon Hart
  • Danny Baxter
  • Darnell Rice
  • Roderick Vincent

Roles

Tiffany Haynes, PhD
Principal Investigator
Camille Hart, MPH
Project Manager