ABSTRACT
Objective
Men who work in trade and labor occupations experience high rates of obesity but are underrepresented in weight control programs. This pilot study evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of a program tailored to this working group compared with a standard (untailored) weight loss program.
Methods
Participants for this study were recruited via direct mail, a university medical center, and other efforts. They were randomly assigned to either a tailored program or a standard program. Both programs were delivered via 16 one-hour virtual group sessions over six months. Semi-structured interviews and self-reports were used to assess the acceptability of the interventions. Feasibility was assessed using recruitment metrics and proportion group sessions and completed study assessments.
Results
Participants (N = 28; median 44.0 years, 31.8 BMI) were recruited into the study over 7 months, and 71% and 79% were retained for assessments at 3 and 6 months. Participants attended a median of 9.5 (tailored) and 5 (standard) of the 16 group sessions. All participants who completed the 6-month assessment in both groups reported that they would recommend the programs to other men. Participants achieved a median weight loss of 2.3% at 6 months (tailored: −3.0%; standard: −1.9%).
Conclusions
This study suggests that tailoring strategies identified in the formative work were feasible and potentially capable of producing weight loss similar to a standard program. Future research should focus on increasing recruitment and engagement before proceeding to a fully powered efficacy trial.
Trial Registration
NCT05386238