Barbershop Raises High Blood Pressure Awareness
High blood pressure, or hypertension, is among the deadliest conditions for black men. A new study finds many men who are at risk don’t even know they have it. But researchers may have found a solution, in a most unlikely place.
At Wally’s Barbershop outside Los Angeles, they talk sports, women, and now, health.
Customer Derrick Cobb said, “I tell people, if you go take a walk before you take a drive, you live a whole lot longer.”
For the past two years, barber Wally Riddle has offered a shave and a haircut — and a blood pressure test. And for the most of the customers who’ve agreed to the tests, the arm cuff has been a change agent.
Dr. Ronald Victor, of Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, said, “The blood pressures have come down tremendously — on average we’ve had about 90 percent follow-up. It’s really remarkable.”
Victor taught Riddle how to take the readings, evaluate them, and make referrals to doctors. He says the program’s secret is that it reaches a population that rarely goes in for check-ups. Victor said, “The average man with high blood pressure in this barbershop comes every two to four to six weeks to have their hair cut. I think I’m a pretty nice doctor, but I’ve never had that kind of patronage in my practice.”
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