A Gender- and Culturally Sensitive Weight Loss Intervention for Hispanic Men: Results From the Animo Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background. Hispanic males have the highest rates of overweight and obesity compared with men of all other racial/ethnic groups. While weight loss can significantly reduce obesity-related health risks, there is limited research examining effective gender- and culturally tailored behavioral weight loss programs for Hispanic men. Objective. To assess the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a 12-week gender- and culturally sensitive weight loss intervention (GCSWLI) as compared with a waist-list control (WLC) in sedentary, Hispanic males with overweight/obesity. Method. Fifty Hispanic males (age: 43 years [ SD = 11]; BMI: 34 ± 5 kg/m2; 58% Spanish monolingual) were randomized to one of two groups: GCSWLI ( n = 25) or WLC ( n = 25). GCSWLI participants attended weekly in-person individual sessions with a bilingual, bicultural Hispanic male lifestyle coach, and were prescribed a daily reduced calorie goal and 225 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week. The WLC were asked to maintain their usual diet and physical activity habits for 12 weeks. GCSWLI participants continued with 12 additional weeks of follow-up including biweekly phone calls with lifestyle coaches. Results. At Week 12, the mean weight loss in the GCSWLI was −6.3 kg (95% confidence interval [CI; −8.1, −4.4]) compared with −0.8 kg (95% CI [−2.5, 0.9]) for the WLC (difference = −5.5 kg, 95% CI [−8.0, −2.9], p < .01). At Week 24, weight loss in the GCSWLI was maintained. Conclusions. The GCSWLI appears to be a feasible strategy to engage Hispanic males in short-term weight loss. Our pilot study indicates preliminary evidence of efficacy, though confirmation of these findings is needed in a larger study.

A Qualitative Analysis of Mexican-Origin Men’s Knowledge and Cultural Attitudes Toward Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Interest in Risk Reduction

“…Modifiable factors such as healthy eating and increased physical activity have been previously identified as the areas of priority for interventions focused on NAFLD given their potential to slow and even reverse early stages of the disease ( Agbim et al, 2019 ; Younossi, Loomba, et al, 2018 ). Lifestyle interventions focused on weight loss, including changes in diet and physical activity, for Hispanic men are reported to be feasible and effective when they are appropriately tailored for gender and culture ( Garcia et al, 2019 ). However, there are currently no qualitative studies that address how Mexican-origin men understand NAFLD and its associated health risks that could inform the development of NAFLD-specific prevention and intervention strategies targeted at this extremely high-risk population.…”

A systematic review examining socioeconomic factors in trials of interventions for men that report weight as an outcome

“…Ten studies completed longer term follow‐up measures with participants (12–24 m: n = 6; >24 m: n = 4) 33,38,39,65–71 . Twenty studies were pilot or feasibility studies 33,35,37,38,65,72–86 . Weight loss was the main intervention outcome in most studies ( n = 28), with maintenance of weight lost the focus in two trials 66,67 .…”

“…Twenty (55.6%) studies did not specifically mention the socioeconomic profile of their study sample. Of these 20 studies, 3 provided a broad statement about a lack of generalizability, 68,80,97 1 provided a broad statement about sample diversity being a study strength, 71 1 made a statement about the lack of generalizability to other ethnic groups, 75 another reported the reach across ethnic groups as a strength, 84 and the remaining 14 made no statement about sample diversity or reach. Three studies that had designed their intervention or recruitment strategies to reach specific socioeconomic groups reported the socioeconomic profile of their sample as a strength 33,77,82 …”

Contextualizing the Chronic Care Model among Non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic Men with Chronic Conditions

“…The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) Program [ 53 ] provides funding to support culturally-tailored interventions across the U.S. to reduce tobacco use, poor nutrition, and physical inactivity, while also increasing community-clinical linkages for enhanced disease management. Interventions specific to non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic men, such as Animo, the weight loss pilot randomized controlled trial for Hispanic men [ 54 ], are strongly encouraged. Further, because more younger men in this study preferred getting their health information online and received support from more sources, the use of technology (e.g., internet, telehealth, health apps, and text messages) and different settings (e.g., faith-based organizations, workplaces, senior centers) for health information sharing and interventions are also recommended [ 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 ].…”