Hair Stylists Promote CRC Screening Via “Shop Talk”

Hair stylists and barbers in South Carolina are delivering a life-saving message to the folks sitting in their chairs — see your doctor about being screened for colorectal cancer.  More than 40 hair care professionals have already been trained in how to help their clients avoid colon and rectal cancer by following screening recommendations.  The goal is to reach at least 100 stylists, each promising to talk to 100 clients.

The Shop Talk Movement teaches hair stylists about colon and rectal cancer and colorectal cancer screening so they can provide accurate information to people visiting their salons.  During an eight hour training session, led by local cancer specialists and salon professionals, stylists learn how to talk effectively about colorectal cancer screening and encourage their clients to talk to their doctors.

The Shop Talk Movement is based on the influence that hair stylists and barbers have on opinions in their communities.  Trusted, they hold influential positions in their clients lives.  People listen to them, particularly in the African-American community.  When they have accurate health information, they spread that information effectively to people they work with every day.

The Shop Talk Movement was developed by the Center for Colon Cancer Research at the University of South Carolina in an effort to find unconventional ways to reach African Americans with colorectal cancer prevention messages.