Trial reportBMC public health2019
Rugby Fans in Training New Zealand (RUFIT-NZ): a pilot randomized controlled trial of a healthy lifestyle program for overweight men delivered through professional rugby clubs in New Zealand.
Trial report in BMC public health, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 42 citations in OpenAlex.
- Comparative Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Behavioral Therapy in Obesity: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.Journal of clinical psychology in medical settings · 2025Pooled it
- Interventions implemented through sporting organisations for promoting healthy behaviour or improving health outcomes.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025Pooled it
- Process evaluations of health-promotion interventions in sports settings: a systematic review.Health promotion international · 2023Pooled it
- Effectiveness of Adult Health Promotion Interventions Delivered Through Professional Sport: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2022Pooled it
- A systematic review examining socioeconomic factors in trials of interventions for men that report weight as an outcome.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2022Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Rugby Fans in Training New Zealand (RUFIT NZ): a randomized controlled trial to assess the effectiveness of a healthy lifestyle program for overweight men delivered through professional rugby clubs.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2023Trial
- How European Fans in Training (EuroFIT), a lifestyle change program for men delivered in football clubs, achieved its effect: a mixed methods process evaluation embedded in a randomised controlled trial.BMC public health · 2023Trial
- Recruiting men from across the socioeconomic spectrum via GP registers and community outreach to a weight management feasibility randomised controlled trial.BMC medical research methodology · 2020Trial
- Trial
- Involving community members in designing behavioural weight management programmes: a scoping review.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Applications of social marketing for implementation science: a scoping review.Implementation science : IS · 2025Article
- Long-term cost-effectiveness analysis of rugby fans in training-New Zealand: a body weight reduction programme for males.BMJ open · 2024Article
- Gender-sensitive community weight-loss programmes to address overweight and obesity in men: a scoping review.BMJ open · 2024Article
- 'A Different Ball Game': Adaptation of a men's health program for implementation in rural Australia.BMC public health · 2023Article
- The Importance of Physical Activity in Preventing Fatigue and Burnout in Healthcare Workers.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- The Value of Recreational Physical Activity in Aotearoa New Zealand: A Scoping Review of Evidence and Implications for Social Value Measurement.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Factors Influencing Men's Experiences and Engagement with the Rugby Fans in Training-New Zealand Pilot Trial: A Healthy Lifestyle Intervention for Men.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Article
- Scale-Up and Scale-Out of a Gender-Sensitized Weight Management and Healthy Living Program Delivered to Overweight Men via Professional Sports Clubs: The Wider Implementation of Football Fans in Training (FFIT).International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundHealthy lifestyle programs that are designed specifically to appeal to and support men to improve lifestyle behaviors and lose weight are needed. The Rugby Fans in Training-New Zealand (RUFIT-NZ) program is delivered by professional rugby clubs and inspired by the successful Football Fans In Training program (FFIT), a gender sensitized weight loss program for obese middle-aged men delivered by professional football clubs in Scotland. RUFIT-NZ required development and evaluation for feasibility.
methodsTo develop the intervention we reviewed content from the FFIT program and evidence-based physical activity, dietary and weight management guidelines, and undertook a series of focus groups and key informant interviews. We then evaluated the feasibility of the intervention in a two-arm, parallel, pilot randomized controlled trial in New Zealand. Ninety-six participants were randomized to either the 12-week RUFIT-NZ intervention (N = 49) or a control group (N = 47). The intervention was delivered through professional rugby clubs and involved physical activity training and classroom sessions on healthy lifestyle behaviors. Pilot trial outcomes included body weight, heart rate, blood pressure, cardiorespiratory fitness, and lifestyle behaviors. Feasibility was assessed by recruitment and retention rates, and acceptability of the intervention.
resultsAt 12 weeks the mean difference in body weight was 2.5 kg (95% CI -0.4 to 5.4), which favored the intervention. Statistically significant differences in favor of the intervention group were also observed for waist circumference, resting heart rate, diastolic blood pressure, cardiorespiratory fitness, and the proportion of participants that were adherent to 3 or more healthy lifestyle behaviors. The intervention was considered feasible to test in a full trial given the good recruitment and retention rates, and positive feedback from participants.
conclusionsA pilot study of a healthy lifestyle intervention delivered via professional rugby clubs in New Zealand demonstrated positive effects on weight and physiological outcomes, as well as adherence to lifestyle behaviors. Feasibility issues in terms of recruitment, retention, and participant acceptability were assessed and findings will be used to inform the design of a definitive trial.
trial registrationThe trial was prospectively registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12616000137493 , 05/12/2016.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.