Educating African American Men About Prostate Cancer: The Barbershop Program‪.‬

Abstract: African American men have the world's highest rates of prostate cancer, with more than twice the mortality of Caucasian Americans. Traditional risk-reduction messages about this disease have not proved effective with African Americans, so two nurse educators forged a university-community coalition in upstate New York to address this public health problem. Working with local health professionals and other interested stakeholders, they developed a culturally competent prostate cancer education program utilizing a non-traditional setting--barbershops--to reach and engage black men. After recruiting six minority barbershop owners in Syracuse, the nurses provided a series of on-site educational sessions, targeting African American males ages 40 and above, to raise prostate cancer awareness and promote healthier behaviors in this population. Project findings and recommendations for educating minorities about health issues are presented. **********