Joan L. Bottorff

An Updated Review of Interventions that Include Promotion of Physical Activity for Adult Men

The marked disparity in life expectancy between men and women suggests men are a vulnerable group requiring targeted health promotion programs. As such, there is an increasing need for health promotion strategies that effectively engage men with their health and/or illness management. Programs that promote physical activity could significantly improve the health of men. Although George et al. (Sports Med 42(3):281, 30) reviewed physical activity programs involving adult males published between 1990 and 2010, developments in men’s health have prompted the emergence of new sex- and gender-specific approaches targeting men. The purpose of this review was to: (1) extend and update the review undertaken by George et al. (Sports Med 42(3):281, 30) concerning the effectiveness of physical activity programs in males, and (2) evaluate the integration of gender-specific influences in the content, design, and delivery of men’s health promotion programs. A search of MEDLINE, CINAHL, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, PsycINFO, the Cochrane Library, and the SPORTDiscus databases for articles published between January 2010 and August 2014 was conducted. In total, 35 studies, involving evaluations of 31 programs, were identified. Findings revealed that a variety of techniques and modes of delivery could effectively promote physical activity among men. Though the majority of programs were offered exclusively to men, 12 programs explicitly integrated gender-related influences in male-specific programs in ways that recognized men’s interests and preferences. Innovations in male-only programs that focus on masculine ideals and gender influences to engage men in increasing their physical activity hold potential for informing strategies to promote other areas of men’s health.

The POWERPLAY workplace physical activity and nutrition intervention for men: Study protocol and baseline characteristics

Many health promotion programs hold little manly appeal and as a consequence fail to influence mens self-health practices. That said, the workplace can provide an important delivery point for targeted health promotion programs by supporting positive aspects of masculinity. The purpose of this article is to, a) describe the intervention design and study protocol examining the feasibility of a gender-sensitive workplace health promotion intervention focusing on physical activity and healthy eating in male-dominated rural and remote worksites, and b) report baseline findings. This study is a non-randomized quasi-experimental intervention trial examining feasibility and acceptability, and estimated intervention effectiveness. The POWERPLAY program was developed through consultations with men and key workplace personnel, and by drawing on a growing body of mens health promotion research. The program includes masculine print-based messaging, face-to-face education sessions, friendly competition, and self-monitoring concerning physical activity and healthy eating. Male participants (N=139) were recruited from four worksites in northern British Columbia, Canada. Baseline data were collected via computer assisted telephone interview (CATI) survey which assessed physical activity, dietary behavior and workplace environment. This protocol will also be used to collect follow-up data at 6months. A process evaluation, using semi-structured interviews, will be undertaken to assess feasibility and acceptability among participants and worksites. Study outcomes will guide intervention refinement and further testing in a sufficiently powered randomized control trial.

A Men's Workplace Health Intervention: Results of the POWERPLAY Program Pilot Study

Objective: To explore physical activity and eating behaviors among men following the implementation of a gender-sensitive, workplace health promotion program. Methods: Using a pre-post within-subjects design, computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) was used to collect health-related information along with physical activity and fruit/vegetable intake at baseline and after 6 months. Results: At baseline, participants (Nu200a=u200a139) consumed 3.58 servings of fruit and vegetables/day and engaged in an average of 229.77u200amin/week moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). At 6 months, daily fruit/vegetable intake did not increase, whereas MVPA increased by 112.3u200amin/week. Conclusions: The POWERPLAY program successfully increased weekly MVPA. Engaging men in health promotion can be a challenge; here, the workplace served as a valuable environment for achieving positive change.

Healthy Eating and Active Living: Rural-Based Working Men’s Perspectives:

There is a pressing need for health promotion programs focused on increasing healthy eating and active living among “unreached” rural-based men. The purpose of the current study was to describe rural-based working men’s views about health to distil acceptable workplace approaches to promoting men’s healthy lifestyles. Two focus group interviews included 21 men who worked and lived in northern British Columbia, Canada. Interviews were approximately 2 hours in duration; data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Themes inductively derived included (a) food as quick filling fuels, (b) work strength and recreational exercise, and (c) (re)working masculine health norms. Participants positioned foods as quick filling fuels both at work and home as reflecting time constraints and the need to bolster energy levels. In the theme work strength and recreational exercise, men highlighted the physical labor demands pointing to the need to be resilient in overcoming the subarctic climate and/or work fatigue in order to fit in exercise. In the context of workplace health promotion programs for men, participants advised how clear messaging and linkages between health and work performance and productivity and cultivating friendly competition among male employees were central to reworking, as well as working, with established masculine health norms. Overall, the study findings indicate that the workplace can be an important means to reaching men in rural communities and promoting healthy eating and active living. That said, the development of workplace programs should be guided by strength-based masculine virtues and values that proactively embrace work and family life.

Changes in Men’s Physical Activity and Healthy Eating Knowledge and Behavior as a Result of Program Exposure: Findings From the Workplace POWERPLAY Program

BACKGROUNDnThe purpose of this study was to examine changes in physical activity and healthy eating knowledge and behaviors associated with the level of exposure to POWERPLAY, a men-centered workplace health promotion program.nnnMETHODSnThis study is based on a quasi-experimental prepost design. Using a computer assisted telephone interview survey, data regarding program exposure and physical activity and health eating knowledge and behaviors were collected from men (N = 103) in 4 workplaces.nnnRESULTSnExposure scores were calculated and participants were categorized as having low (n = 54) or high exposure (n = 49) to POWERPLAY. Compared with the low exposure group, those reporting high exposure scored significantly higher on physical activity knowledge (F (1, 99) =14.17, P < .001, eta2 = .125) and health eating knowledge (F (1, 99) =14.37, P = .001, eta2 = .111). The high exposure group also reported significantly more minutes walked place to place (F (2, 206) = 3.91, P = .022, eta2 = .037) and on minutes walked for leisure (F (2, 230) = 3.08, P = .048, eta2 = .026).nnnCONCLUSIONSnPOWERPLAY shows significant promise as a workplace health promotion approach and may have an even greater impact when program exposure is augmented with environmental and policy changes.

Men’s Mental Health Promotion Interventions: A Scoping Review

There is an increasing need for mental health promotion strategies that effectively engage men. Although researchers have examined the effectiveness of diverse mental wellness interventions in male-dominated industries, and reviewed suicide prevention, early intervention, and health promotion interventions for boys and men, few have focused on sex-specific program effects. The purpose of this review was to (a) extend the previous reviews to examine the effectiveness of mental health promotion programs in males, and (b) evaluate the integration of gender-specific influences in the content and delivery of men’s mental health promotion programs. A search of MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and EMBASE databases for articles published between January 2006 and December 2016 was conducted. Findings from the 25 included studies indicated that a variety of strategies offered within (9 studies) and outside (16 studies) the workplace show promise for promoting men’s mental health. Although stress was a common area of focus (14 studies), the majority of studies targeted multiple outcomes, including some indicators of positive well-being such as self-efficacy, resilience, self-esteem, work performance, and happiness/quality of life. The majority of programs were offered to both men and women, and six studies explicitly integrated gender-related influences in male-specific programs in ways that recognized men’s interests and preferences.

Measurement and evaluation practices of factors that contribute to effective health promotion collaboration functioning: A scoping review

The purpose of this scoping review was to identify promising factors that underpin effective health promotion collaborations, measurement approaches, and evaluation practices. Measurement approaches and evaluation practices employed in 14 English-language articles published between January 2001 and October 2015 were considered. Data extraction included research design, health focus of the collaboration, factors being evaluated, how factors were conceptualized and measured, and outcome measures. Studies were methodologically diverse employing either quantitative methods (n=9), mixed methods (n=4), or qualitative methods (n=1). In total, these 14 studies examined 113 factors, 88 of which were only measured once. Leadership was the most commonly studied factor but was conceptualized differently across studies. Six factors were significantly associated with outcome measures across studies; leadership (n=3), gender (n=2), trust (n=2), length of the collaboration (n=2), budget (n=2) and changes in organizational model (n=2). Since factors were often conceptualized differently, drawing conclusions about their impact on collaborative functioning remains difficult. The use of reliable and validated tools would strengthen evaluation of health promotion collaborations and would support and enhance the effectiveness of collaboration.

Acceptability of the POWERPLAY Program: A Workplace Health Promotion Intervention for Men

The workplace health promotion program, POWERPLAY, was developed, implemented, and comprehensively evaluated among men working in four male-dominated worksites in northern British Columbia, Canada. The purpose of this study was to explore the POWERPLAY program’s acceptability and gather recommendations for program refinement. The mixed-method study included end-of-program survey data collected from 103 male POWERPLAY program participants, interviews with workplace leads, and field notes recorded during program implementation. Data analyses involved descriptive statistics for quantitative data and inductive analysis of open-ended questions and qualitative data. Among participants, 70 (69%) reported being satisfied with the program, 51 (51%) perceived the program to be tailored for northern men, 56 (62%) believed the handouts provided useful information, and 75 (74%) would recommend this program to other men. The findings also highlight program implementation experiences with respect to employee engagement, feedback, and recommendations for future delivery. The POWERPLAY program provides an acceptable approach for health promotion that can serve as a model for advancing men’s health in other contexts.