Acknowledging adult bias: a focus-group approach to utilizing beauty salons as health-education portals for inner-city adolescent girls

Health Promot Pract. 2007 Apr;8(2):205-13. doi: 10.1177/1524839906289819. Epub 2006 Sep 15.

Abstract

To assess the feasibility of using beauticians as health literacy agents and beauty salons as health-education portals for adolescent, inner-city, African American girls, the authors conducted focus groups with 25 women: salon clients, salon owners, and medical students. Facilitators to program development included (a) beautician-client relationships, (b) teens' access to health information, and (c) beauticians as information resources. Barriers included (a) adult opinions of teen behaviors, (b) teen mistrust of adults, and (c) low health literacy of beauticians. In developing a health-education program for this population, beauticians and salons may be excellent health information agents and portals if barriers including beautician poor health literacy, adolescent mistrust in adults, and adults' anti-adolescent bias are improved. Program implementation must not solely focus on teens but should also include adult salon users, with the goal of reaching the teens first through these adults and, with time and trust, reaching the teens directly.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adolescent Behavior / ethnology*
  • Adolescent Behavior / psychology
  • Adult
  • Attitude / ethnology*
  • Beauty Culture*
  • Black or African American / education
  • Black or African American / psychology*
  • Cultural Characteristics
  • Feasibility Studies
  • Female
  • Focus Groups
  • Health Education / methods*
  • Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*
  • Humans
  • Intergenerational Relations*
  • Middle Aged
  • Philadelphia
  • Risk-Taking
  • Sexual Behavior / ethnology*
  • Students, Medical / psychology
  • Trust
  • Urban Health