The document describes a program called "Barbers Building Better Brothers" that aims to reduce HIV and violence risks among young African American males through educational interventions delivered in barbershops. The program will target over 1,000 men in 48 barbershops in high AIDS rate areas, with half receiving an HIV prevention intervention and half a violence prevention intervention. The objectives are to reduce risky sexual behaviors and increase condom use to prevent HIV/STDs, and teach anger management and positive decision making to prevent violence. Barbershops are chosen as the location because they are community gathering places where barbers have influence, and men will get haircuts even if not other health services. The methods involve randomly assigning barbersh

2. Barbers Building Better Brothers
• HIV Reduction Intervention & Violence Prevention Program
targeting over 1000 young men
• 48 participating barbershops in the 12 zip codes with the
highest AIDS rates
• Half participate in HIV intervention,
the other half participate in violence
intervention

3. Project Objectives
• Reduce the risk of HIV and other STDs among young
African American males
• Cutting down on multiple partners
• Increase condom use
• Teach anger management and how to make positive
life choices
“You have to take the time to learn why people do what they do, understand
the code of their streets, listen to their voices, determine their attitudes and
beliefs about the behavior, and build the skills they need to change that
behavior” Loretta Sweet Jemmott

4. Why is this intervention important?
HIV/AIDS Violence
• AIDS is the biggest killer of • Murder is the number one killer for
African American men, ages 25 to black teens in the country.
44.
• Philadelphia has the most murders
• 50% of all new HIV cases are out of any US city.
African American, even though
• Gun violence kills over 1,200
they represent only 13% of the
people a year in PA alone.
population.
• It is safer for black men to be
• Among African Americans, men
soldiers in the war than on the
account for two thirds of new
streets of American cities.
infections.
• The rate of HIV infection for black
men is 6 times as high as that of
white men.
• 1 in 16 black men will be
diagnosed with HIV in their
lifetime.

5. Why Barbershops?
• Barbershops are traditionally bastions for male bonding.
• They are places where men can engage in spirited debates about
sports and politics, where they can have racy conversations about
sex, with barbers serving as unofficial moderators of the free flowing
dialogue.
• Young men respect their barbers. They will listen to what their
barbers have to say.
• While these men may not attend a
sexual education course, they will
get their hair cut!
• It’s never been done before!

6. Methods
• Barbershops will be randomly separated into either the HIV
intervention or the violence prevention
• Barbers recruit the participants
• Intervention takes place over two days, three weeks apart
• Interactive iPad component and one-on-one talk with barber
• Participant is given a goody bag with information and supplies
• Follow up with them after three months, 6 months and one year
for:
• Self-reported condom use
• Multiple sexual partners
• Unprotected sexual intercourse

7. My Role
• Participant brochures
• Helped work with designs:
 Posters
 Letterheads
• Inventory
• Visited barbershops during recruitment
 Follow up phone calls
• iPad testing
• Sex Coupons

8. Participant Brochures

9. Sex Coupons
SEX SEX SEX
Talk Dirty To Me
This coupon needs no
explanation. Make sure nobody
is within earshot because this
isn’t going to be PG…
Ladies, it’s time to bring out
that special lingerie you’ve
been saving. This coupon entitles
the holder to bring out her
sexiest lingerie. Hopefully it won’t
be on for long though…
All Nighter
Tonight might be a late night!
This coupon entitles the holder
to an all night session of
passionate sex. Resting is
allowed but not recommended.

10. iPad Testing
• Preliminary run through to test for user friendliness and
experience
• Participants were told to think out loud
• Recorded all of the participants thoughts
• Two thirty minute components
• Participants discussed the video afterwards

11. • Went to various barbershops during the
recruitment process
• Sweltered in the heat
• Took note of the different reactions each
person had to the project
• Documented my experience

12. Findings?