The Aussie-FIT process evaluation: feasibility and acceptability of a weight loss intervention for men, delivered in Australian Football League settings

Abstract

EQ, NN, CTN, KH, CG, RUN, DFG, SW, PJM, DAK, and SR conceived the project and obtained the project funding. EQ, DK, CD, CTN, KH, CG contributed to the development of the interview guides and conducted the data analysis reported in this manuscript. DK, JO, EQ and CD recruited participants. CD conducted all interviews. HB conducted coding of audio-recorded data. MM and DK contributed to data processing and interpretation. EQ and DK wrote the first draft of the manuscript. All authors contributed to the refinement of the manuscript and approved the final version. Acknowledgements: Aussie-FIT builds on the Football Fans in Training (FFIT) program, the development and evaluation of which was undertaken by a research team led by the University of Glasgow with funding from various grants including a Medical Research Council (MRC) grant (reference number MC_UU_12017/3), a Chief Scientist Office (CSO) grant (reference number CZG/2/504), and a National Institute for Health Research grant (NIHR) (reference number 09/3010/06). The development and evaluation of FFIT was facilitated through partnership working with the Scottish Professional Football League Trust (SPFLT). We would like to thank male AFL fans (N=130) who participated in the Aussie-FIT study, and our six coaches and team of students and research assistants from Curtin University and Edith Cowan University. Data Availability Statement: Data available on request due to privacy and ethical restrictions.The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author, EQ. The data are not publicly available due to restrictions, i.e., containing information that could compromise the privacy of research participants.

Factors Influencing Men’s Experiences and Engagement with the Rugby Fans in Training—New Zealand Pilot Trial: A Healthy Lifestyle Intervention for Men

“…Our results also add to the literature by providing a New Zealand and rugby union perspective and adding weight to the importance of the characteristics of the coach delivering the programme, the communication and presentation skills of those delivering the education sessions, and the efforts that should be encouraged to create a team-based environment. Interestingly, the importance of the franchise involvement for continued engagement did not come across as strongly as in previous research e.g., [ 17 , 21 ].…”

“…Our results illustrated that engagement with the programme was heavily influenced by: (1) factors brought to the programme by the men who enrolled: their life situations, motivations and behaviours, and how those factors supported the creation of a team atmosphere; (2) the supportive, motivating and skilful coach who delivered the programme; and (3) factors inherent to the design and content of the programme: the knowledge gained from the education sessions and its situation within professional sport. Although the results may appear similar to those from evaluations of other ‘Fans in Training’ style lifestyle programmes [ 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ], these programmes are all conducted slightly differently (for example, RuFIT-NZ used dieticians to deliver nutrition content, strength and conditioning coaches to deliver the main programme content), hence there is a need to understand participant experiences of each. Our results also add to the literature by providing a New Zealand and rugby union perspective and adding weight to the importance of the characteristics of the coach delivering the programme, the communication and presentation skills of those delivering the education sessions, and the efforts that should be encouraged to create a team-based environment.…”

“…To date, understanding men’s experiences with participating in these programmes has been limited to process evaluations of FFIT [ 17 , 18 ], the Canadian Hockey FIT [ 19 ] and Hat Trick programs [ 20 ], and Aussie-FIT [ 21 ]. These four studies identified key factors underpinning participant satisfaction: (1) the relationships developed, and support provided, from the ‘like-minded’ men participating, (2) positive interactions with the coaches delivering the programme, (3) the content of the programme, including how it was delivered (FFIT, Aussie-FIT), the ice hockey themed content (Hat Trick), and the importance of small, manageable, realistic behaviour changes (Hat Trick, Aussie-FIT), and (4) the programme being situated within the sport stadium with close association with the sports club (Hat Trick, FFIT, Aussie-FIT).…”

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

“…For example, in the gender tailored Australian Football themed Aussie‐Fans in Training program, 426 men registered their interest in participating within 3 days of advertising 35 . Despite the clear program appeal, the authors reported limited sample diversity in terms of socioeconomic status and ethnicity 35,105 . In the FFIT RCT in Scotland, without specific targeting of recruitment efforts beyond the location of professional football clubs known to attract people from a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds in their fan base, the program recruited men from across the socioeconomic spectrum 26 .…”

“… 35 Despite the clear program appeal, the authors reported limited sample diversity in terms of socioeconomic status and ethnicity. 35 , 105 In the FFIT RCT in Scotland, without specific targeting of recruitment efforts beyond the location of professional football clubs known to attract people from a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds in their fan base, the program recruited men from across the socioeconomic spectrum. 26 Gender‐tailoring and aligning interventions with men's interests can engage men who would not otherwise participate; however, depending on the context, specific targeting (e.g., in lower socioeconomic areas or regional towns) and tailoring (e.g., for specific ethnic groups) may be required to reach more diverse populations more representative of the burden of obesity‐related disease.…”