Lessons from the field: A mixed methods analysis of hair stylists’ reflections on their experience as lay health educators

Abstract

Beauty salons are unique settings to provide community-based health education. The Speak UP! Salon Project trained hair stylists to deliver health messages related to reducing unintended pregnancy to female clients in the 18-30-year age range. The project ran from 2009 through 2011. Midway through the project, we held focus groups with stylists and administered a questionnaire as concurrent process evaluation measures. Forty-seven of the ninety-three stylists then active in the project attended one of eleven focus groups. The focus groups included questions about stylists' experiences and their reflections on their role as lay health educators. Using Krueger's qualitative methodology, we systematically analyzed the focus group transcripts. Six themes emerged from the focus groups, including stylists' ability to deliver lay health education, increased comfort levels, stylists' self-monitoring, support materials, messaging outside the target audience, and intangible benefits to the stylists. The questionnaire included twenty-six items and provided quantitative support for identified themes. Findings indicated that stylists were a strong and willing community partner for delivering health education, they received substantial positive feedback from clients, and their efforts reached individuals far beyond the target audience; however, professional health educators must provide substantial training and support to ensure the program's success.

Contraception and PrEP in South African Hair Salons: Owner, Stylist, and Client Views

“…Our study may be considered within the context of other salon-based interventions exploring the use of stylists as mentors and health educators, including studies evaluating intimate partner violence screening in US salons and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus , Hepatitis C, and hypertension screening in African American barbershops. 7 , 8 , 10 – 12 Although these studies have laid the groundwork for successful implementation of targeted health services in the salon, our study is unique to the field of HIV implementation and to the South African setting. In addition, our work proposes ongoing contact with hair salon clients for sustainable, long-term contraception and HIV prevention.…”

‘Very unsure of what’s to come’: Salon worker experiences of COVID-19 in Australia during 2020

“…Research shows that salon workers can act as informal helpers around medical and social issues (Cowen, 1982; Sattler and Deane, 2016; Wiesenfeld and Weis, 1979). This includes the ability to play an active role in health promotion especially for otherwise hard-to-reach communities (Howze et al, 1992; Linnan and Ferguson, 2007; Makabe, 2020; Randolph et al, 2021; Rasmusson et al, 2018; Sadler et al, 2011; Solomon et al, 2004) and to assist in intervening around issues like family violence (McLaren et al, 2010). This research suggests a significant positive role that salon workers can often play in communities in terms of providing social support, care and health promotion.…”

Addressing the silence: Utilising salon workers to respond to family violence

“…For example, hairdressers have been described as an ‘untapped resource’ for dermatological interventions given that these workers are uniquely placed to detect head and neck melanomas on their clients (Roosta et al, 2012: 687). Hairdressers have also been described as possible ‘lay health educators’ for reproductive health (Rasmusson et al, 2018: 519), and beauty salon workers described as ‘natural helper[s] in the delivery of health messages’ (Solomon et al, 2004: 805). Reasons given to explain the ideal position of salon workers to act as helpers includes that salons are ubiquitous, are visited frequently by clients, often involve lengthy sessions, and are spaces where talk about things like health happens (Linnan and Ferguson, 2007).…”