Barbershop Talk: Reducing Excessive Alcohol Consumption Among Men

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 and the chances of getting cancer and cardiovascular diseases, but it also causes about 88,000 deaths and 2.5 million years of potential life lost each year in the U.S. Men living in rural areas tend to drink more. In Arkansas, a rural state with high rates of unhealthy drinking, men are more likely to report heavy drinking (4 or more drinks a day) and to drink more when binge drinking. Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) is an evidence-based, multilevel, integrated public health approach for early intervention and timely referral to more intensive treatment for those with substance use disorders. SBIRTs have been successfully used in primary care and emergency settings.

However, men in rural areas may lack access to evidence-based care for unhealthy drinking due to many factors, including limited healthcare providers and insurance standing. Given the increased chances of death and illness linked to harmful drinking among rural men and the serious health consequences involved, it is urgent to improve access to evidence-based care. This can be achieved by expanding services into community settings that men in rural areas are more likely to visit, such as barbershops. Thus, the goals of this proposed Hybrid Type 2 pragmatic effectiveness-implementation trial are to: 1) test the effectiveness of an evidence-based SBIRT intervention for use within barbershops (Barbershop Talk); and 2) generate the scientific evidence needed to implement SBIRTs in "real world" settings. Data from this study will further our understanding of how to reduce the chances of experiencing alcohol attributable morbidity and mortality among men living in rural areas. Data will also enhance our understanding of strategies that can improve the implementation of evidence-based care models in non-clinical settings, thereby extending the reach of evidence-based care to rural communities with high needs.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Drinking Behavior; Drinking Excessive; Drinking
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: SBIRT

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 611
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Arkansas
    • Little Rock, Arkansas, United States, 72205
      • UAMS

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• male
• aged 18 or older
• resident of Arkansas

Exclusion Criteria:

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: SBIRT; Each intervention barbershop, will hold screening days, where a trained community health worker will be onsite to provide Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT).	Behavioral: SBIRT; Low risk individuals will receive an educational pamphlet about alcohol use and the impact on health. Moderate Risk individuals will receive a brief alcohol intervention. High risk individuals will receive the brief alcohol intervention and be referred to specialty treatment.
Other: Usual-care; Six months after completion of Time 1, barbershops in the usual-care arm will receive the intervention.	Behavioral: SBIRT; Low risk individuals will receive an educational pamphlet about alcohol use and the impact on health. Moderate Risk individuals will receive a brief alcohol intervention. High risk individuals will receive the brief alcohol intervention and be referred to specialty treatment.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Alcohol Use - total number of drinking days	At-risk drinking behavior measured as: number of drinking days	Baseline
Alcohol Use - total number of drinking days	At-risk drinking behavior measured as: number of drinking days	3 months
Alcohol Use - total number of drinking days	At-risk drinking behavior measured as: number of drinking days	6 months
Alcohol Use - number of unhealthy drinking days	At-risk drinking behavior measured as: number of unhealthy drinking days	Baseline
Alcohol Use - number of unhealthy drinking days	At-risk drinking behavior measured as: number of unhealthy drinking days	3 months
Alcohol Use - total number of unhealthy drinking days	At-risk drinking behavior measured as: number of unhealthy drinking days	6 months
Mental Health - depression	The PHQ-9 is the depression module of the Patient Health Questionnaire (a diagnostic instrument for common mental disorders), which scores each of the 9 DSM-IV criteria as "0" (not at all) to "3" (nearly every day). The PHQ9 will be used for this outcome.	Baseline
Mental Health - depression	The PHQ-9 is the depression module of the Patient Health Questionnaire (a diagnostic instrument for common mental disorders), which scores each of the 9 DSM-IV criteria as "0" (not at all) to "3" (nearly every day). The PHQ9 will be used for this outcome.	3 months
Mental Health - depression	The PHQ-9 is the depression module of the Patient Health Questionnaire (a diagnostic instrument for common mental disorders), which scores each of the 9 DSM-IV criteria as "0" (not at all) to "3" (nearly every day). The PHQ9 will be used for this outcome.	6 months
Mental Health - Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)	Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL5)	Baseline
Mental Health - Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)	Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL5)	3 months
Mental Health - Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)	Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL5)	6 months
Social Support	Family, friend, and partner support (number of people in support network)	Baseline
Social Support	Family, friend, and partner support (number of people in support network)	3 months
Social Support	Family, friend, and partner support (number of people in support network)	6 months
Healthcare Utilization	Number of subjects who have utilized healthcare services	Baseline
Healthcare Utilization	Number of subjects who have utilized healthcare services	3 months
Healthcare Utilization	Number of subjects who have utilized healthcare services	6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Arkansas
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Tiffany F Haynes, PhD, University of Arkansas

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): June 26, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): July 31, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): July 31, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: October 17, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 1, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): November 8, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 16, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 13, 2026
• Last Verified: March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavior; Drinking Behavior
• Other Study ID Numbers: 273439

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No