Evaluation of a Gender-Sensitive Physical Activity Programme for Inactive Men in Ireland: Protocol Paper for a Pragmatic Controlled Trial

Abstract

The excess burden of ill-health, mortality and premature death experienced by many men, and poorer men in particular, across the developed world has prompted calls for the development of gender sensitised health related services for men. An emergent body of evidence indicates that successful public health work with men can be accomplished when it utilises elements with which men are familiar and secure. In particular, physical activity (PA) is proven here to be a useful 'hook' to engage men. 'Men on the Move' (MoM) is a community-based PA programme designed to engage inactive men to improve their overall health and well-being. The MoM programme was delivered by practitioner partnerships in diverse communities and among diverse groups of men under 'real world' conditions to assess both its efficacy and replicability with a view to scaling-up the programme nationally for population wide impact. Establishing appropriate protocols is critical when conducting research that translates into practice, is replicable in practice and can be disseminated at a population level. The purpose of this paper is to detail the protocols used in the design, implementation and evaluation of the MoM programme. Specifically, the process of engaging men in a community based PA intervention and sustaining that engagement over the 12 weeks and the protocols used to evaluate the impact of participation in MoM on biopsychosocial health up to 52 weeks will be outlined. If the intervention proves successful, gender-sensitive community based PA interventions for men could be a promising avenue to address their health needs. These findings may be of support to both practitioners endeavouring to engage men and others engaged in translational research to ensure their research translates to meaningful action in practice.

Recruiting men from across the socioeconomic spectrum via GP registers and community outreach to a weight management feasibility randomised controlled trial

“…Individuals from disadvantaged groups may be less likely to participate in programs where the intervention or research procedures are burdensome [49]. Whilst some interventions targeted at men use physical activity and the appeal of sports settings [22,50], remotely delivered individual interventions can be effective [51], less burdensome and may be more inclusive of men that do not wish to or are unable to attend groups, participate in physical activity or who are not sports fans.…”

“…For instance, recruitment strategies employed in the Football Fans in Training (FFIT) weight management randomised controlled trial included advertisements on club/fan websites, in-stadia advertising, engaging supporters’ groups, local and national media coverage, workplace advertising and in-person match-day recruitment drives, with a team of fieldworkers supporting the recruitment of 1080 men across 13 clubs within four months [ 20 ]. A community-based physical activity programme targeting inactive men (Men on the Move) also employed a comprehensive range of recruitment strategies, adopting a strengths-based approach based on creating trust, rapport, and meaningful relationships with men [ 22 ]. Specific recruitment strategies included text and email invitations via existing databases, website advertising and social media, a local media campaign, General Practice (GP) referral and snowballing, with 927 men recruited within two weeks across 8 counties and 30 host venues [ 23 ].…”

Economic evaluation of ‘Men on the Move’, a ‘real world’ community-based physical activity programme for men

“…Self-administered questionnaires combined with recorded outcome measures (weight, BMI, waist circumference and time-to-complete one mile) were used to gather data on participants at baseline, 12W, 26W and 52W post-baseline (Refer to (18) for the full protocol). The intervention targeted PA improvements (a 1 MET increase in aerobic fitness, a 5% weight reduction and a 5 cm waist reduction; refer to (12) for details on outcomes in all three of these metrics).…”

“The Environment Was Like They Were in the Pub But With No Alcohol” –

“…A framework for conceptualizing program sustainability was developed based upon Shediack-Rizkallah and Bone's 18 framework for sustainable communitybased health promotion interventions. 25 In brief, a partnership network consisting of 13 organizations oversaw the design and implementation of the program. All decisions regarding program design were focused on what would work feasibly in practice and therefore the program was designed to require minimal funding by integrating services and using local facilities.…”

“…Of those in the IG (n=501), 68.3% attended at least 50% of the program, which was deemed indicative of weekly attendance. This 25 This section therefore focuses specifically on methods and analysis relating to the process evaluation only. Written informed consent was provided by all study participants.…”