None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Overweight and obesity represent major health problems facing middle-aged men in Australia. In WA, four out of five men risk the quality and length of their lives by being overweight or obese. Middle-aged men are less likely than women to recognise that they are overweight or obese, less likely to know about the links between diet and health, and appear reluctant to participate in weight loss programs. This may be because such programs are typically marketed toward women and are often considered ‘female territory’. A new project led by researchers at Curtin University and Glasgow University offers a promising solution to the problem of how to engage men in weight loss and physical activity programs in WA. Building on the highly successful ‘Football Fans in Training’ (FFIT) program delivered in premier league soccer clubs in Scotland, a new, adapted, Aussie version (Aussie-FIT) will capitalise on men’s passion for AFL as a ‘hook’ to engage them in a physical activity and weight loss program based on sound scientific evidence. The research team will recruit 120 overweight and obese AFL fans to join a 12- week program which will be delivered at the ground of their favourite WA AFL team. The program will be delivered by club coaches trained by the project’s researchers. The men will be put through their paces on the hallowed turf of their favourite team and in the classroom, discuss important issues such as healthy eating and cutting back on drinking. A key part of the program is to educate and support the men to make sustainable changes that will improve their physical activity, eating and drinking habits for the better, and for the long term. The researchers will take a range of measures before and after the program, including physical activity levels, diet, mental health and weight, to assess the program’s effectiveness. When delivered in Scotland, FFIT was highly popular with middle-aged males from all walks of life, and very successful in helping them lose weight. In the future, the Aussie-FIT team aim to customise this program for other sports and groups of fans (e.g., females, families).
Interventions
Aussie-FIT is a program designed to promote physical activity (PA), weight loss and healthy living among overweight and physically inactive middle-aged men in Australia, using the context of AFL. Aussie-FIT is based upon the existing, successful FFIT program (developed in Scotland). Aussie-FIT is tailored to engage males via delivery in the AFL context by coaches associated with the clubs, taking into account any salient cultural differences in the relationship between masculinity and health. Th
Aussie-FIT is a program designed to promote physical activity (PA), weight loss and healthy living among overweight and physically inactive middle-aged men in Australia, using the context of AFL. Aussie-FIT is based upon the existing, successful FFIT program (developed in Scotland). Aussie-FIT is tailored to engage males via delivery in the AFL context by coaches associated with the clubs, taking into account any salient cultural differences in the relationship between masculinity and health. The original FFIT program was developed by a team of experts in obesity, PA, community-based programs, gender and health, and delivery of men’s weight management programs. Aligned with the original FFIT, Aussie-FIT will be gender-sensitive and will aim to support participants to change their eating habits and food consumed (based on estimated weight maintenance requirements according to age, gender and body weight). The targeted strategies will include portion control, reduction of sugary drinks and energy dense foods, reduction in alcohol consumption, and a gradual increase in moderate PA that is initiated in the club setting but readily incorporated into daily lives to maximise sustainability of lifestyle changes (see Gray et al., 2013, for additional detail on intervention features and rationale). To help support the men to sustain PA changes, the program will include self-regulation strategies, such as a) helping the men understand how to respond appropriately to certain stimuli (e.g., triggers to being inactive and unhealthy eating); b) assisting them to set effective goals; c) teaching them strategies to avoid engaging in compensatory behaviours (e.g., being more sedentary or eating more following PA), and d) educating them in how to prevent relapse (i.e., returning to pre-intervention behaviours, which might result in weight gain). The program will be delivered over 12 weekly, 90-minute sessions to groups of 15 men by coaches (i.e., tutor to participant ratio of 1:15). The sessions will include classroom based activities and coach-led PA sessions. Over the 12 weeks, the proportion of time dedicated to PA relative to classroom-based activities will increase, to align with the men’s increases in fitness. Activity monitors will be handed out in week one, when participants will be fully briefed in how to wear and use the devices. Participants will be asked to wear their activity monitor throughout the day and use it as a self-monitoring device. Four community coaches will be recruited to take the role of Aussie-FIT program tutors. The coaches will ideally be coaching personnel who usually deliver the clubs’ community programs and they will be selected on the basis of recommendations from our key contacts at each club, as well as their interest and enthusiasm for the role and relevant experience. Coaches will be given training in the Aussie-FIT delivery protocol. Coaches will receive two days of face-to-face training, followed by opportunities to practice session delivery and then receive feedback from the research team. Training topics will include PA, nutrition, and behaviour change strategies. A multicomponent process evaluation (including interviews with fans, coaches, and coded audio recordings of coaches’ communication style in Aussie-FIT sessions) will be undertaken. Our evaluation will explore issues of: 1) implementation (i.e., the process of implementing the intervention such as when, where, and how the fans engaged in PA during and after the intervention period), 2) mediators of outcomes (e.g., motivation to engage in PA or healthy diet), and 3) potential moderators (e.g., age, socioeconomic status, baseline PA and dietary behaviours, baseline BMI). Fidelity of the delivery of Aussie-FIT by trained club community coaches will be examined via coding the content of the audio recordings of the program delivery sessions. We will determine whether the intervention delivery style and content were as intended by coding audio recordings. We will also measure the degree to which the behaviour change techniques have been taught appropriately by the coaches.
Sponsors
Curtin University
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Prevention
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
Male
Age
35 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Male participants, 35-65 years old, BMI 28 or higher, consent for randomisation.
Exclusion criteria
Being outside of the aforementioned age and BMI range; not identifying as male, unable to comprehend the information letter and consent documentation; and those who are already participating in a specific health promotion programme delivered at the club or elsewhere.
Outcome results
None listed