ArticleBMC public health2020
Exploring the influences on men's engagement with weight loss services: a qualitative study.
Article in BMC public health, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 30 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
30 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 57 citations in OpenAlex.
- 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
- Remotely delivered weight management for people with long COVID and overweight: the randomized wait-list-controlled ReDIRECT trial.Nature medicine · 2025Trial
- Socio-economic factors, mood, primary care utilization, and quality of life as predictors of intervention cessation and chronic stress in a type 2 diabetes prevention intervention (PREVIEW Study).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
- Understanding Factors Which Help and Hinder Engagement with Weight Management Interventions and Related Research.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- 'You only care when it hurts' - men's engagement with their health: a qualitative interview study in Lower Austria.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Article
- How to promote therapy-seeking for men with binge-spectrum eating disorders: a qualitative study.Journal of eating disorders · 2026Article
- Male perceptions and experiences of weight loss initiatives: Considerations for sustainable lifestyle practices.PloS one · 2026Article
- Protocol for a pilot RCT investigating a weight loss navigation program for adults.Contemporary clinical trials · 2026Article
- What works for men? Participant perspectives from a mixed-gender weight-management trial with incentives.Contemporary clinical trials communications · 2025Article
- Optimising Weight Management Advice for Adults Prescribed Antidepressants: A Qualitative Interview Study of Experiences.International journal of mental health nursing · 2025Article
- Implementation of an Australian football themed men's health program in rural Australia: a mixed-methods study.Health promotion international · 2025Article
- Age, race and ethnicity, and sex of participants in clinical trials related to obesity.Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.) · 2025Article
- Feasibility and Acceptability of Behavioral Weight Loss Programs for Men in Trade and Labor Occupations: A Pilot Study.Obesity science & practice · 2025Article
- Barriers and enablers to effective weight management for people living with overweight and obesity: A rapid scoping review.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2025Article
- A machine-learned model for predicting weight loss success using weight change features early in treatment.NPJ digital medicine · 2024Article
- Factors associated with reported need of weight loss support among adults with overweight or obesity: results from a cross-sectional population study in 2022 in Sweden.Public health nutrition · 2024Article
- Patient, facility, and environmental factors associated with obesity treatment in US Veterans.Obesity science & practice · 2024Article
- Gender-sensitive community weight-loss programmes to address overweight and obesity in men: a scoping review.BMJ open · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundEngagement of men with commercial and UK National Health Service (NHS) weight loss services is low, and few studies report on why this may be. However, evidence shows that men who do participate in weight loss programmes tend to lose as much, or more weight than women. The present study aimed to explore men's experiences and expectations of mainstream weight loss services in the UK, following referral from a medical professional, particular in relation to barriers and motivators.
methodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 men with a BMI over 25 kg/m
resultsTwo themes were identified; 'Fear as a motivation for change' (1) and 'Attitudes towards existing weight loss services' (2). Within theme two, two subthemes were identified; 'Female dominated services' and 'Incompatibility of existing services for men'. The findings suggest that fear, as a result of a medical diagnosis or referral is a mechanism for motivating men to engage with weight loss services. This was often augmented by awareness of other people's experiences of poor health due to their weight. The gender imbalance and attitudes towards existing weight loss services deterred men from engaging with or continuously attending sessions. This imbalance resulted in feelings of self-consciousness, shame and a perceived stigma for men using weight loss services. These experiences highlighted the importance of providing services which align with men's preferences to promote engagement.
conclusionsA medical diagnosis or referral serves as a strong motivator for men to engage with weight loss services by invoking fear of negative consequences of not losing weight. Men perceived weight loss services to be feminised spaces, in which they felt self-conscious and out of place. As a result, men were deterred from engaging and considered their options were limited. Implications for service design and commissioning are discussed. Involving men in research, service design and evaluation is key to improving their engagement and weight loss.
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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.