The Active Breed pilot randomised controlled trial: a weight loss and lifestyle modification program for men in South-Western Sydney

Active Breed is a 12-week men's health intervention targeting: - weight loss through sustainable healthy lifestyle behaviours - physical activity, including goal setting, strategies to increase physical activity and overcoming barriers - nutrition, including increasing fruit and vegetable consumption, reducing saturated fat, salt, sugar and processed food intake - mental health, including depression and anxiety and practical strategies to deal with stress - violence prevention, including recognising signs of abuse and violence The intervention will be tested as a two-armed randomised controlled trial, with a wait-list control group who will receive the intervention at a later date. Group-based (face-to-face) sessions will be held once per week for 12 weeks at Belmore Sports Ground (Bulldogs' home stadium). Each weekly session will run for 90 minutes and will comprise an educational component (45-60 minutes) and a physical activity component (30-45 minutes). These sessions will be delivered by trained Active Breed facilitators, with support from content area experts including qualified exercise scientists and personal trainers (physical activity), mental health support services (representative from Beyond Blue for mental health), and domestic violence experts (representatives from White Ribbon Australia). Active Breed facilitators will have expertise in physical activity and exercise (e.g., qualified exercise scientists) and will attend a half day training course with two senior members of the research team (PhD qualified) with expertise in health promotion, physical education and men's health. During this session, facilitators will learn about engaging men, delivering gender-tailored information, building rapport with participants, and the content within the program. Senior members of the research team will be in attendance at all sessions, and facilitators will be involved in a debriefing session with the researcher/s after each session to identify strengths and areas for improvement. One topic will be covered in each educational session, and these topics will be scheduled prior. The content delivery will vary in each session, and activities will include brief, interactive presentations and demonstrations (e.g., cooking class) and group discussion activities. The weekly physical activity component of the sessions will include low to moderate intensity football skills and drills, small-sided touch football games, and supervised gym sessions. All physical activity sessions will be delivered by a qualified personal trainer and/or exercise scientist. All participants will be provided with program resources including an Active Breed handbook (specifically developed for the program), generic information about health and health services (readily available, to be provided by external facilitators from external stakeholders), equipment pack (including a training shirt and drink bottle), and exclusive access to a participant website where program materials will be made available outside regular weekly sessions. Participants will be encouraged to engage with the website at least weekly to support healthy lifestyle behaviours beyond the scope of the weekly sessions. Each intervention participant will receive a unique login allowing exclusive access to the website. We will explore the usability and engagement with the website in the process evaluation of the pilot study. Adherence to the intervention will be monitored by attendance records at the weekly sessions. Interactions with the website will also be recorded (e.g., number of logins).