MAN v FAT Soccer: Feasibility Study and Preliminary Efficacy of a Sport-Based Weight-Loss Intervention for Overweight and Obese Men in Australia

in Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology

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Timothy Budden School of Human Sciences (Exercise and Sport Science), University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
Telethon Kids Institute, Perth, WA, Australia

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James A. Dimmock Telethon Kids Institute, Perth, WA, Australia
Department of Psychology, College of Healthcare Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia

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Michael Rosenberg School of Human Sciences (Exercise and Sport Science), University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia

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Mark R. Beauchamp School of Kinesiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

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Ian Fitzpatrick UWA Sport, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia

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Ben Jackson School of Human Sciences (Exercise and Sport Science), University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
Telethon Kids Institute, Perth, WA, Australia

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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1123/jsep.2021-0165
Keywords:
masculinity; CONSORT guidelines; weight-loss gamification
First Published Online:
30 Aug 2022
In Print:
Volume 44: Issue 5
Page Range:
359–369
Restricted access

MAN v FAT Soccer is a sport-based weight-loss program for overweight and obese men that originated in the United Kingdom (i.e., as MAN v FAT Football) and appears to successfully engage men with weight loss. We sought to explore whether the program would work in an Australian context by (a) establishing a foundation for the implementation of the program on a larger scale and (b) determining how large-scale implementation is most feasible. We conducted a nonrandomized, single intervention group feasibility trial of MAN v FAT Soccer in Australia with 418 male participants with a body mass index greater than 27.50 kg/m2. Results indicate that the program is acceptable, with participants reporting positive perceptions of the various components of the program and a high proportion reporting intentions to recommend the program to others (95.9%). Furthermore, preliminary effectiveness results indicate positive changes in weight (4.6% reduction) and physical activity (88.5% increase) and improvements in psychological outcomes such as depression (17.6% decrease), stress (19.0% decrease), and body appreciation (19.1% increase). Our findings provide general support for the feasibility of MAN v FAT Soccer and the notion that leveraging competition and masculinity may help drive men’s health behavior change.

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