Rugby Fans in Training New Zealand (RUFIT-NZ): Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial to Assess the Effectiveness and Cost-effectiveness of a Healthy Lifestyle Program for Overweight Men Delivered Through Professional Rugby Clubs in New Zealand

Overview

Journal Trials

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialties General Medicine
Pharmacology

Date 2020 Feb 6

PMID 32019609

Citations 4

Authors

Ralph Maddison

Elaine Anne Hargreaves

Yannan Jiang

Amanda Jane Calder

Sally Wyke

Cindy M Gray

Kate Hunt

David Lubans

Helen Eyles

Nick Draper

Ihirangi Heke

Stephen Kara

Gerhard Sundborn

Claire Arandjus

Matthew Jenkins

Samantha Marsh

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: A healthy lifestyle program that appeals to, and supports, obese New Zealand (NZ) European, Māori (indigenous) and Pasifika men to achieve weight loss is urgently needed. In Scotland, Football Fans in Training (FFIT), a weight management and healthy lifestyle program for overweight and obese men aged 35-65 years , delivered by community coaching staff at professional football clubs, has been shown to be beneficial and cost-effective. A pilot program inspired by FFIT but delivered by professional rugby clubs in NZ (n = 96) was shown to be effective in weight loss, improved physiological outcomes, and adherence to healthy lifestyle behaviors in overweight and obese men. The objective of this trial is to determine the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the Rugby Fans in Training New Zealand (RUFIT-NZ) program.

Methods: A pragmatic, two-arm, multi-center, randomized controlled trial involving 308 overweight and obese men aged 30-65 years, randomized to either an intervention group (n = 154) or a wait-list control group (n = 154). The intervention-group participated in the 12-week RUFIT-NZ program, a gender-sensitized, healthy lifestyle intervention adapted to the environment and cultural diversity of NZ and delivered through professional rugby clubs. Participants in the intervention group undergo physical training sessions, in addition to workshop-based sessions to learn about nutrition, physical activity, sleep, sedentary behavior, and a range of behavior-change strategies for sustaining a healthier lifestyle. The control group receives the program after 52 weeks. The primary outcome is change in body weight from baseline to 52 weeks. Secondary outcomes include change in body weight at 12 weeks; waist circumference, blood pressure, fitness, and lifestyle behaviors at 12 and 52 weeks; and cost-effectiveness. A process evaluation informed by the RE-AIM framework will evaluate potential implementation of RUFIT-NZ as an ongoing program in NZ after the trial.

Discussion: This trial will investigate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the RUFIT-NZ program in overweight and obese NZ men.

Trial Registration: Australia New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12619000069156. Registered on 18 January 2019, according to the World Health Organization Trial Registration Data Set. Universal Trial Number, U1111-1245-0645.

Citing Articles

Interventions implemented through sporting organisations for promoting healthy behaviour or improving health outcomes.

Hodder R, OBrien K, Al-Gobari M, Flatz A, Borchard A, Klerings I Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2025; 1:CD012170.

PMID: 39803834 PMC: 11726619. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD012170.pub2.

Long-term cost-effectiveness analysis of rugby fans in training-New Zealand: a body weight reduction programme for males.

Lee P, Hargreaves E, Jiang Y, Calder A, Marsh S, Gray C BMJ Open. 2024; 14(7):e073740.

PMID: 39043600 PMC: 11268026. DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-073740.

'A Different Ball Game': Adaptation of a men's health program for implementation in rural Australia.

McDonald M, Hunt K, Moullin J, Kerr D, Ntoumanis N, Quested E BMC Public Health. 2023; 23(1):1387.

PMID: 37468854 PMC: 10355060. DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-16247-w.

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.

Maddison R, Hargreaves E, Jiang Y, Calder A, Wyke S, Gray C Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2023; 20(1):37.

PMID: 36978139 PMC: 10043512. DOI: 10.1186/s12966-022-01395-w.

A systematic review examining socioeconomic factors in trials of interventions for men that report weight as an outcome.

McDonald M, Hunt K, Sivaramakrishnan H, Moullin J, Avenell A, Kerr D Obes Rev. 2022; 23(7):e13436.

PMID: 35187778 PMC: 9285916. DOI: 10.1111/obr.13436.

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