A health scheme is using men’s love of football to tackle obesity. Jennifer Trueland reports Walking up to a stranger at a football stadium and suggesting he takes part in a fitness programme is not easy. ‘You have to be tactful,’ says research nurse Charlotte McEleney. ‘I have had men say to me “do you think I’m fat?” I have to explain that they might be eligible for a health programme.’ Ms McEleney and her colleagues were recruiting men to an innovative health and weight-loss programme that taps into football fans’ love of their team. The Football Fans in Training (FFIT) initiative has been running for three seasons at Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs, and is showing positive results. Research published in The Lancet (www.tinyurl. com/lancetfootball) and BMC Public Health (www.tinyurl.com/ obesityfootball) in January found that the programme, delivered through professional football clubs, helped participants lose weight, take more exercise and improve their diet. Men who took part in the initiative lost more than nine times as much weight as men in a control group. Importantly, more

24 march 19 :: vol 28 no 29 :: 2014

Helping fans Research nurse Charlotte McEleney talks to a recruit

than a third of participants maintained a weight loss of at least 5 per cent of their original body weight 12 months after completing the programme. Sally Wyke, interdisciplinary chair in health and wellbeing at Glasgow University, and one of the principal FFIT researchers, says the idea for the programme came out of an evaluation of a nurse-led men’s weight loss clinic in Forth Valley. The clinic worked for those who attended it, but it was difficult to attract participants. Professor Wyke explains: ‘Obesity is rising in men, but men do not tend to see dieting as an issue for them. It is the kind of thing their wives

and girlfriends do, but it is not a masculine activity. ‘We wanted to find a way to increase the reach of weight loss programmes aimed at men, so we got in touch with the [then] Scottish Premier League, and that is where it all started.’

Lifestyle change

FFIT is a 12-week programme where men – recruited by nurses or self-referred – attend free weekly training sessions at their local professional football club. As well as physical activity, the men are offered healthy eating advice and tips on weight management, and are encouraged to keep in touch after the initial 12 weeks. Crucially, the programme is delivered by the clubs’ community coaches.

NURSING STANDARD

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on a waiting list. Measurements, including weight and blood pressure, were taken at the start, at 12 weeks and at 12 months. A year later, FFIT participants had lost and kept off an average of 5kg (11lb) each and 7.3 centimetres from their waists. ‘It is not a diet, it is tips on skills and techniques for lifestyle change,’ says Professor Wyke. ‘Most of the men lost the weight in the 12 weeks, but the important thing is that it was sustained.’ The programme was gender sensitised to appeal to men, she says. Participants were given T-shirts with their club logo to promote a sense of camaraderie, and were encouraged to share stories and offer mutual support.

GETTY IMAGES

Local initiatives

to get fit

SUMMARY

The research into FFIT was funded by the National Institute for Health Research public health research programme; delivery was funded by the Scottish Government and the UK Football Pools through a grant to the Scottish Premier League Trust. FFIT recruited 747 men, 90 per cent of whom were classified obese. Half were put on the intervention programme and half A health and weight loss programme supported by nurses and delivered by professional football clubs in Scotland has been hailed a success in helping men to lose weight sustainably. It uses participants’ love of football to motivate them to make healthy lifestyle changes. Author Jennifer Trueland is a freelance journalist

NURSING STANDARD

Although the research element ran for one year, the SPFL Trust, a charity working in partnership with Scotland’s 42 professional clubs, has continued to fund the programme, while clubs have followed it up with local initiatives. Now Professor Wyke hopes it will be rolled out more widely. The researchers have won European funding to test a version of the programme in Portugal, the Netherlands, Norway and England, and there are also moves to see if it could work in professional rugby. As a nurse working part time in the NHS and part time in research, Annette Franczuc found the project particularly rewarding. Her role involved taking measurements and offering clinical advice to FFIT participants with clinical conditions such as high blood pressure. She says: ‘I could really see how the programme was making a difference to men’s health. They were getting fitter and they felt better about themselves. It is great to see something that works.’ The programme ‘really plugs into men’s psyche’, she adds. ‘It definitely made a difference that it was the football coaches who were delivering the programme – they were being coached by the same guys who were coaching their heroes!’ NS

‘I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER AFTER LOSING WEIGHT’ At the age of 42, father-of-three Derek Spence knew he had to do something about his weight. A shift from an active to a sedentary desk job, as well as a love of big portions, had pushed the scales up to 137 kilos (21 stones and eight pounds). ‘I really felt it. My son likes to play basketball and I would try to shoot a few hoops but could not keep up. I tried the gym but hated it – I felt self-conscious,’ he says. A keen fan of the Edinburgh football club Hibernian (Hibs), he found a leaflet for the 12-week Football Fans in Training (FFIT) programme and decided to give it a go. ‘It is the best decision I ever made,’ he says. ‘The coaches were brilliant; they really encouraged us to do well. ‘The other guys were great – there was a real variety, from unemployed people to senior managers, but we all had Hibs and wanting to lose weight in common. The banter was also great; I would laugh so much.’

Wellbeing

During the programme Mr Spence slimmed down to 113 kilos (17st 11lb). ‘I know I am still cuddly, but I feel so much better. I play five-a-side football and when I go to the basketball with my laddie I am running all over the court. I walk the dog for miles, and have even started to cook.’ He has no doubt that FFIT worked so well for him, and others, because it is grounded in football. ‘You are training pitchside, wearing the Hibs badge. I think that men are all boys at heart and we love getting that sort of access at the football club we’re passionate about.’ march 19 :: vol 28 no 29 :: 2014 25

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Helping fans to get fit.

A health and weight loss programme supported by nurses and delivered by professional football clubs in Scotland has been hailed a success in helping m...
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