Development of a barbershop based violence intervention for young Black emerging adult men

A crucial gap in the education literature are the health interventions situated for the unique experiences of Black emerging adult men (BEAM), one of the most vulnerable populations in the United States The article describes the systematic development of a theory‐based, culturally tailored, barbershop‐based violence intervention for BEAM, aged 18–24 years. The process included developing a community advisory board, selecting a theoretical framework, incorporating community‐based participatory research principles, and conducting formative research with BEAM and barbershop owners. The result was Shape Up: Barbers Building Better Brothers, a 2‐day retaliation violence risk reduction intervention focused on increasing retaliation restraint self‐efficacy beliefs and skills and reducing the number of violent incidents. Intervention sessions were facilitated by barbers who used iPads to deliver the content. As a high‐risk population, this intervention has great public health significance for the health of BEAM.