Third annual "Hair Fitness" contest promotes exercise

The third annual "Hair Fitness" competition, sponsored by UnitedHealthcare and Bronner Bros., took place at the Bronner Bros. International Hair Show on Aug. 5, 2012 in Atlanta, Ga.

The contest, part of UnitedHealthcare's Hair Fitness Initiative, challenged stylists to create fashionable, exercise-friendly hairstyle to help African American women lead healthy and active lives.

The Hair Fitness Initiative was created in response to the obesity epidemic affecting the African-American community, according to UnitedHealthcare.

Estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show non-Hispanic blacks have the highest age-adjusted rates of obesity, with 45.9 percent of the population. According to the United Health Foundation's America's Health Rankings, obesity prevalence among African Americans exceeded 30 percent in 36 states in 2011. "Studies show that many African American women avoid certain kinds of fitness activities in order to maintain their hairstyles, citing the time and cost involved," UnitedHealthcare said in a press release.

Over 50 stylists competed and displayed innovative, fitness-friendly hairstyles. Linette Battle of Palm Beach, Fla., won first place and took home $5,000 and a trophy for outstanding design and execution. In the photo (left to right): Sherita Cherry, Bronner Bros. master hairstylist; Regina M. Benjamin, M.D. Surgeon General of the United States; Elgin Charles, celebrity hair stylist, known as the "Emperor of Hair" and star of VH1's Beverly Hills Fabulous, Linette Battle, grand prize winner and her model Ashley; and James Bronner.

A closer look at grand prize winner Linette Battle's winning look, modeled by Ashley. "I'm thrilled to have been recognized at this year's Hair Fitness contest. I've been leading a healthy lifestyle and talking to my clients about it for years, so it's wonderful to see a company like UnitedHealthcare helping to bring attention to this issue. I can't wait to share what I learned with my clients and community," Battle said in the press release.

The back of grand prize winner Linette Battle's winning look, modeled by Ashley.

"A big part of (the obesity epidemic) is that African American women are not exercising nearly enough," Dr. Reed Tuckson, UnitedHealth Group's Chief Medical Officer, told HealthPop. "The more we dug into exercise, we found out for a significant people the amount of money on spent on their hairstyle and the amount of money that they spent on upkeep, it is inconsistent to them (to ruin it with) exercise." In the photo (left to right): Reed Tuckson, UnitedHealth Group's Chief Medical Officer; Regina M. Benjamin, M.D. Surgeon General of the United States; Ashley Robinson, WNBA Washington Mystics player; and Elgin Charles, celebrity hair stylist, known as the "Emperor of Hair" and star of VH1's Beverly Hills Fabulous.

The stylists were judged on the technical execution of the hairstyle, originality, new ideas, and suitability and head contour.

The different categories included: low-impact workout, which involves little to no sweat and requires only one shampoo/condition per week; moderate-impact workout, which involves modest sweat and requires one to two shampoos/conditions per week; and high-impact, which involves profuse sweating and requires two to three shampoos/conditions per week.

"There's no questions the fight against obesity is around too much food going in and too much bad food going on and the need to exercise more," Tuckson explained.

In addition to the contest, a "Stylin' Healthier Futures" class was offered for attendees of the Bronner Bros. International Hair Show. About 100 people learned hairstyles that both looked good and were able to support a healthy lifestyle. A health care professional also was on hand to teach stylists how to teach healthy living practices to their customers.

The classes were an extension of a similar UnitedHealthcare program that taught hairstylists in Wisconsin healthy hairstyles, along with diet and exercise tips so they can be a "positive influence" in their communities, Tuckson said. The program has been deemed a success and will be expanded to other states.

Tuckson said UnitedHealthcare decided to target hair salons because for many African Americans, the establishment is one of the central places for their neighborhood and a fundamental place where people gather in the community. Many hairstylists told Tuckson that they saw their customers at least every other week.

"What's been really fun about it is that prominent hairstylists are starting to recognize now that what we are doing by emphasizing the hairstylist's role is much more profound, that doing hair can play into overall healthiness and wellness for their customers," Tuckson explained. "So many of them are starting view their role as more important."

Most importantly, Tuckson hopes that people learn that their health should be something that is valued. He doesn't accept that people don't have time or money to exercise, arguing that something as simple as walking around the block or moving the coffee table and stretching at home could be beneficial for one's well-being.

"I think the most important thing is making the decision to putting my health high on the list of priorities. So many women are disproportionally poor and are struggling with so many socioeconomic and income challenges that they think exercise is something they don't have time for," Tuckson stated.

Tuckson wants people to recognize that exercise is fun and makes you feel better, making it an important part of overall attitude - not to mention that it can help prevent disease and unnecessary chronic illness. Exercise as preventive care can also help cut down on medication costs and the time needed to visit hospitals and doctors.

But most importantly, exercise can help mothers show young children that being healthy and fit is an important part of life, according to Tuckson. Especially with the number of obese children rising, this can be an important life lesson.

"We're trying to help women to understand that your children are watching you as a role model," Tuckson said. "Above all, we're helping people to recognize they can have a healthy attitude about their lives ... It's an army of positive reinforcement. It's not actually just about the hair styles but an overall lifestyle."