Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Sep 3;12(9):1011.
doi: 10.3390/vaccines12091011.

Exploring the Views of Barbers and Stylists on the Acceptability of Delivering Community-Based Interventions to Promote COVID-19 Testing and Vaccination in South Carolina

Paddington T Mundagowa  1 , Sachi Vora  1 , Fatima Seck  1 , Neal Dhankhode  1 , Kwame S Sakyi  2 , Mufaro Kanyangarara  1
Affiliations

Exploring the Views of Barbers and Stylists on the Acceptability of Delivering Community-Based Interventions to Promote COVID-19 Testing and Vaccination in South Carolina

Paddington T Mundagowa et al. Vaccines (Basel). .

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the need for effective community-based interventions to promote disease prevention and reach high-risk, underserved communities. Trusted community leaders like barbers and stylists may serve as effective conduits for intervention implementation. This study aimed to explore the perceived acceptability of an intervention to promote COVID-19 testing and vaccination delivered by barbers in South Carolina.

Methods: We conducted exploratory in-depth interviews to ascertain barbers' and stylists' perceptions and identify potential barriers and facilitators. Data analysis used a deductive coding approach to identify themes and was guided by the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability.

Results: Sixteen participants were interviewed. Participants expressed positive reactions towards the interventions. Acceptability was influenced by strong trust relationships with clients, perceived community influence, self-efficacy in providing the intervention, and a shared sense of responsibility for community health. However, potential barriers included declining public concern about COVID-19, vaccine hesitancy, and limited COVID-19 knowledge among barbers and stylists. Participants emphasized the need for training and incentives for effective and sustained intervention delivery.

Conclusions: Barbers and stylists are well-positioned to promote COVID-19 testing and vaccination due to their trusted roles and community influence. Given the complacency from the waning perceived COVID-19 threat and the historical mistrust in health interventions, vaccine hesitancy must be addressed through supportive communication strategies.

Keywords: COVID-19 testing and vaccination; South Carolina; barbers and stylists; community health; intervention acceptability.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

    1. World Health Organization Number of COVID-19 Cases Reported to WHO. WHO Health Emergencies Programme. [(accessed on 20 June 2024)]. Available online: https://data.who.int/dashboards/covid19/cases?n=c.
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Health Equity Considerations and Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups. Georgia. [(accessed on 20 June 2024)]; Available online: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/health-equity/race-e....
    1. Mackey K., Ayers C.K., Kondo K.K., Saha S., Advani S.M., Young S., Spencer H., Rusek M., Anderson J., Veazie S., et al. Racial and Ethnic Disparities in COVID-19–Related Infections, Hospitalizations, and Deaths. Ann. Intern. Med. 2021;174:362–373. doi: 10.7326/M20-6306. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Nguyen L.H., Joshi A.D., Drew D.A., Merino J., Ma W., Lo C.H., Kwon S., Wang K., Graham M.S., Polidori L., et al. Racial and ethnic differences in COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and uptake. MedRxiv. 2021 doi: 10.1101/2021.02.25.21252402. - DOI
    1. Egede L.E., Walker R.J. Structural Racism, Social Risk Factors, and COVID-19—A Dangerous Convergence for Black Americans. N. Engl. J. Med. 2021;383:e77. doi: 10.1056/NEJMp2023616. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources