The Marketing Mix and Hygienic Barbershop Use: A Formative Study

Background: Previous public health research has demonstrated that barbershop services in Sub-Saharan Africa involve close-shaving styles that may irritate the skin or cause injuries particularly among clients with razor bumps. Barbershop services may also facilitate client-to-client transmission of pathogens because they involve reuse of sharp implements (e.g., clippers) and other tools (e.g., brushes, towels and combs). The above concerns are compounded by limited access to adequate sanitization products in reasonably-priced barbershops. Focus of the Article: The goal of this formative research was therefore to identify and assess the structure of hygiene and hair care beliefs to be targeted by a social marketing intervention by integrating elements of the marketing mix and fundamental assumptions of the information-motivation-behavioral skills (IMB) model. Research Questions: To elicit hygiene and hair care beliefs, respondents were asked to state up to 9 beliefs specific to hygiene and safety information, perceived consequences of raising hygiene and safety concerns in barbershops (motivational beliefs) and efficacy skills in practicing hygiene and safety behaviors. To assess structural adequacy of the proposed IMB model, beliefs underlying information and motivation were hypothesized to be positively associated with beliefs underlying hygiene and safety negotiation skills as well as frequency of close-shave practices. To determine whether parameters of IMB model might differ across rural and urban settings, the following research question was considered: do individual paths and mediating mechanisms operate differently across rural and urban IMB models? Importance to the Social Marketing Field: This research provides empirical evidence for the integration of social marketing principles within the IMB framework and the potential of such integration in developing formative propositions for social marketing interventions in low-income contexts. Methods: This research was conducted in two phases. In phase one, data from a semi-structured survey (N = 65) were analyzed to identify modal salient beliefs and set up subsequent survey research. Phase two consisted in collecting cross-sectional survey data (N = 622) and using exploratory and structural equation modeling to assess the proposed model. Results: Together, identified beliefs and statically significant associations between IMB variables suggest that barbershop clients experience ambivalence toward risks associated with barbershop use, the relative benefits of alternative behaviors (e.g., use of personal shaving kits) and what it would cost them to receive the benefits. Recommendations for Research or Practice: Results in this study call attention to various ways in which the marketing mix can be used—to not only provide ecologically relevant information and increase motivation but also sell the benefits of hygienic barbershop use, offset prices of safer practices and draw attention of policy makers. There was no evidence of moderated mediation or moderation across individual paths to support significant differences between respondents in urban and rural settings, suggesting that a single-group model can be used to design interventions in both settings. Limitations: Future research should pre-test specific intervention features to identify audience reactions to preliminary propositions discussed in the current study.