USC CHIRP Lab program uses barbershops, Fitbits to address health gaps for Black and Latino men

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – Researchers at the University of South Carolina are testing a new approach to reach Black and Latino men where they already gather, the barbershop, to improve mental health, physical health, and overall well-being.

The effort is led by USC’s Community Health Intervention Resiliency Promotions Lab, known as the CHIRP Lab, which focuses on health disparities and ways to reduce barriers to care.

“CHIRP Lab primarily works with minorities, specifically Black and Latino men, working on health disparities and how we can create interventions to reduce barriers to health care,” said Will Turner, a research assistant with the lab.

Turner said the work is driven by a stark gap in outcomes.

“Unfortunately, Black and Latino men have the lowest life expectancy out of all other races, ethnicities, and genders,” Turner said. “Our whole total goal, especially in public health, is to figure out how to increase life expectancy.”

‘Fade to Fitness’ brings health education into the barbershop

One of the lab’s newest projects is Fade to Fitness, an eight-week program that combines mental health awareness with physical health and social well-being strategies inside participating barbershops.

To support the program, the CHIRP Lab helped create the Clean Cut Sharp Minds Coalition, a group of barbers across the state who partner with researchers.

“A lot of minds got together, and we created this coalition called the Clean Cut Sharp Minds Coalition,” Turner said. “This is a coalition of barbers across the state who decided to be part of our Fade to Fitness program.”

Turner said the goal is to equip barbers to share health techniques with their clients and to build trust around conversations that some men may avoid in more traditional settings.

“What we do is we teach barbers to teach their clients in the barbershop some of these techniques,” he said.

Participants enrolled in the eight-week program also receive a Fitbit to track fitness activity as they work on healthier routines.

“We give you a Fitbit so you can track your fitness activities,” Turner said. “You get to do some of the mental health awareness.”

Barbers trained as ‘empowerment coaches’

Turner said participating barbers are being trained to serve as “empowerment coaches,” and the program includes compensation for their time.

“Now we have the barbers who are learning to become empowerment coaches,” Turner said. “We’re giving them compensation for being able to do this because we want to be able to have people participate and be part of this.”

How to get involved

You can learn more information on how to connect with the CHIRP Lab here: https://guillermowippold.com/chirp-lab/

Watch the full interview below:

Deric Rush speaks with Will Turner, a research assistant at USC’s Community Health Intervention Resiliency Promotions Lab, about a new approach to well-being.

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