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

Paula Carroll^1, , Michael Harrison¹, Noel Richardson², Steve Robertson³, Aisling Keohane¹, Liam Kelly² and Alex Donohoe¹

¹Centre for Health Behaviour Research, Waterford Institute of Technology, Ireland

²National Centre for Men’s Health, Institute of Technology Carlow, Ireland

³Centre for Men’s Health, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, UK

Cite this paper:
Paula Carroll, Michael Harrison, Noel Richardson, Steve Robertson, Aisling Keohane, Liam Kelly and Alex Donohoe. Evaluation of a Gender-Sensitive Physical Activity Programme for Inactive Men in Ireland: Protocol Paper for a Pragmatic Controlled Trial. Journal of Physical Activity Research. 2018; 3(1):20-27. doi: 10.12691/jpar-3-1-4

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.

Keywords:
protocols men’s health physical activity gender sensitised community

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

References:

[1]	Baker P. Men’s health: a global problem requiring global solutions. Trends in Urology & Men’s Health, 7(3):11-14, 2016.
[2]	Health Service Executive (HSE). National Men’s Health Action Plan. Healthy Ireland – Men HI-M 2017-2021. Working with men in Ireland to achieve optimum health and wellbeing. Available from: HSE, Dublin, 2016.
[3]	European Commission. The First State of Men’s Health in Europe Report. Available from: European Commission, Luxemburg, 2011.
[4]	Robertson S, Baker P. Men and health promotion in the United Kingdom: 20 years further forward? Health Education Journal. 76(1):102-113, 2017.
[5]	White A, McKee M, Richardson N, Visser R, Madsen SA, Sousa BC, Hogston R, Zatonski W, Makara P. Europe’s men need their own health strategy. British Medical Journal. 2011; 343:d7397, 2011.
[6]	Latye R, Banks J, Walsh C, McKnight G. Trends in socio-economic inequalities in mortality by sex in Ireland from the 1980s to the 2000s. Irish Journal of Medical Science, 184(3). 2014.
[7]	Banks I, Baker P. Men and primary care: Improving access and outcomes. Trends in Urology & Men’s Health, 4(5):39-41, 2013.
[8]	Carroll P, Kirwan L, Lambe B. Engaging “hard to reach” men in community based health promotion. International Journal of Health Promotion & Education, 52: 120-130, 2014.
[9]	Lefkowich M, Richardson N, Robertson S. “If we want to get men in, then we need to ask men what they want”: Pathways to Effective Health Programming for Men. American Journal of Men’s Health, 2015.
[10]	Zwolinsky S, McKenna J, Pringle A, Daly-Smith A, Robertson S, White A. Optimizing lifestyles for men regarded as ‘hard-to- reach’ through top-flight football/soccer clubs. Health Education Research 28(3): 405-13, 2013.
[11]	Hunt K, Wyke S, Gray C, Anderson AS, Brady A, Bunn C, Donnan PT, Fenwick E, Grieve E, Leishman J, et al. A gender-sensitised weight loss and healthy living programme for overweight and obese men delivered by Scottish Premier League football clubs (FFIT): A pragmatic randomised controlled trial. The Lancet, 383(9924):1211–21, 2014.
[12]	Robertson S, Zwolinsky S, Pringle A, McKenna J, Daly-Smith A, White A. “It’s fun, fitness and football really”: a process evaluation of a football based health intervention for men. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health 5(3): 419-39, 2013.
[13]	Richardson N. Building momentum, gaining traction: Ireland’s national men’s health policy – 5 years on. New Male Studies, 2(3):93-103, 2013.
[14]	Department of Health and Children (DOHC). National Men’s Health Policy 2008-2013. Working with men in Ireland to achieve optimum health and wellbeing. Available from: Hawkins House, Dublin 2, 2008.
[15]	Rychetnik L, Bauman A, Laws R, King L, Rissel C, Nutbeam D, Colagiuri S, Caterson I. Translating research for evidence-based public health: key concepts and future directions. Journal of Epidemiololgy & Community Health. 66:1187-92, 2012.
[16]	Glasgow RE, Green LW, Taylor MV, Stange KC. An evidence integration triangle for aligning science with policy and practice. American Journal of Preventative Medicine, 42:646-54, 2012.
[17]	Bauman A, Nutbeam D. Planning and evaluating population interventions to reduce noncommunicable disease risk – reconciling complexity and scientific rigour? Public Health Research & Practice, 25(1):e2511402, 2014.
[18]	Glasgow RE, Lichtenstein E, Marcus AC. Why don’t we see more translation of health promotion research to practice? Rethinking the efficacy-to- effectiveness transition. American Journal of Public Health, 93:1261-67, 2003.
[19]	Welsby D, Nguyen B, O’Hara BJ, Innes-Hughes C, Bauman A, Hardy LL. Process evaluation of an up-scaled community based child obesity treatment program: NSW Go4Fun. BMC Public Health, 14:140, 2014.
[20]	Andersen E, Burton NW, Andersen SA. Physical activity levels six months after a randomised controlled physical activity intervention for Pakistani immigrant men living in Norway. International Journal of Behavioural Nutrition & Physical Activity, 9:47-56, 2012.
[21]	Bottorff JL, Seaton CL, Johnson ST, Caperchione CM, Oliffe JL, More K, Jaffer-Hirji H, Tillotson SM. An Updated Review of Interventions that Include Promotion of Physical Activity for Adult Men. Sports Medicine. 45(6):775-800, 2015.
[22]	Lefkowick M, Richardson N, Brennen L, Lambe B, Carroll P. A process evaluation of a Training of Trainers (TOT) model of health training in Ireland. Health Promotion International, 2016.
[23]	Osborne A, Carroll P, Richardson N, Doheny M, Brennan L, Lambe B. From training to practice: the impact of ENGAGE, Ireland’s national men’s health training programme. Health Promotion International, 2016.
[24]	Pringle A, Gilson N, McKenna J, Cooke C. An evaluation of the local exercise action pilots and impact on moderate physical activity. Health Education Journal, 68:179-185, 2009
[25]	Pringle A, Zwolinksy S, Smith A, Robertson S, McKenna J, White A. The pre-adoption demographic and health profiles of men participating in a programme of men’s health delivered in English Premier League football clubs. Public Health, 125:411-16, 2011.
[26]	Daniels J. Daniels’ Running Formula. 3 rd ed. Champaign: Human Kinetics; 2013.
[27]	Putz R, O’Hara K, Taggart F, Stewart-Brown S. Using WEMWBS to measure the impact of your work on mental well-being: A practice-based user guide. 2012. [cited 2017 March 30]. Available from: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/med/research/platform/wemwbs/researchers/userguide/wemwbs_practice_based_user
[28]	Berkman LF, Syme SL. Social network, host resistance and mortality: a nine year follow up of Alameda county residents. American Journal of Epidemiology, 109:186-204, 1979.
[29]	Loucks E, Sullivan L, D’Agostino R, Larson M, Berkman L, Benjamin E. Social networks and inflammatory markers in the Framingham Heart Study. Journal of Biosocial Science, 38(6):835-42, 2006.
[30]	Shediac-Rizkallah MC, Bone LR. Planning for the sustainability of community based health programs: Conceptual frameworks and future directions for research, practice and policy. Health Education Research, 13(1): 87-108, 1998.
[31]	Braun V, Clarke V. Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2): 77-101, 2006.
[32]	White A, de Sousa B, De Visser R, Madsen SA, Makara P, Richardson N, Zatonski W. Europe’s ‘missing men; the impact of life expectancy improvements on men’s premature mortality. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 10(1093): 1-7, 2013.
[33]	Department of Health and Ageing. National male health policy: building on the strengths of Australian males. Available from: Department of Health and Ageing, Canberra, 2010.
[34]	Robertson C, Archibald D, Avenell A, Douglas F, Hoddinott P, van Teijlingen E. Boyers D, Steward F, Boachie C, Fioratoy E, et al. Systematic reviews and integrated report on the quantitative, qualitative and economic evidence base for the management of obesity in men. Health Technology Assessment, 18:1-424, 2014.
[35]	Robertson, S. Gough, B. Hanna, E. Raine, G. Robinson, M. Seims, A. White, A. Successful mental health promotion with men: the evidence from ‘tacit knowledge’. Health Promotion International, 2016.
[36]	Robertson LM, Douglas F, Ludbrook A, Reid G, van Teijlingen E. What works with men? A systematic review of health promoting interventions targeting men. BMC Health Services Research, 8:141, 2008.
[37]	Oliffe JL, Ogrodniczuk JS, Bottorff JL, Johnson JL. Hoyak K. ‘You feel like you can’t live anymore’: Suicide from the perspectives of Canadian men who experience depression. Social Science & Medicine, 74: 506-4, 2012.
[38]	Grace B, Richardson N, Carroll P. “... if you’re not part of the institution you fall by the wayside”: Service providers’ perspectives on moving young men from disconnection and isolation to connection and belonging. American Journal of Men’s Health, 2016.
[39]	Ammerman A, Process Evaluation of the Church-Based PRAISE! Project. In: Steckler A, Linnan L, editors. Process Evaluation for Public Health Interventions and Research. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco (CA), p115- 150, 2002.