Acceptability of a Self-Guided Lifestyle Intervention Among Young Men: Mixed Methods Analysis of Pilot Findings (Preprint)

Abstract

BACKGROUND Young men are vastly underrepresented in lifestyle interventions, suggesting a need for developing appealing yet effective programing for this population. OBJECTIVE We quantitatively and qualitatively examined young men’s experience with intervention components of a remotely-delivered self-guided lifestyle intervention targeting weight loss. Data were integrated using a convergent mixed methods analysis. METHODS Fourteen young men completed semi-structured interviews and satisfaction surveys following completion of a remotely-delivered 12-week lifestyle intervention. The intervention included 1 virtual group session, digital tools, access to self-paced web-and mobile-based content, and 12 weekly health risk text messages. RESULTS Men were 29.9+4.9 years old with a BMI of 31.0+4.5 kg/m2. The self-guided aspect was less appealing, and majority preferred more check-ins. Participants expressed a desire for a social aspect in future lifestyle interventions. CONCLUSIONS A self-guided lifestyle intervention designed for young men was perceived acceptable. However, findings highlight the need for adding intervention components that sustain motivation (social support) among young men should be further examined. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04267263