Barbershops could offer a community setting for diabetes testing

Having Black men tested for diabetes at barbershops could be a way to ensure more timely diagnoses, according to new research. Previous studies have shown that barbershops, as trusted community places among Black men, can be spots to diagnose high blood pressure by removing barriers to care — such as insurance and cost — that this population may face. In the new study, researchers approached around 900 men who frequented one of eight barbershops in Brooklyn, N.Y. — a third of these men agreed to be tested, and almost 10% had blood sugar levels that would have resulted in a diabetes diagnosis in a doctor’s office. Nearly 30% had prediabetes, which, with proper lifestyle changes, can be prevented from progressing. Although these results are promising, the small study group and its location could mean the findings are not generalizable.