London men looking to drop the pounds are being issued a guide to help them on their fitness journey.
The charity Men’s Health Forum launched their How to make weight-loss services work for men guide earlier this week.
It shows how to adapt and run weight-loss programmes that are specifically tailored for men.
Men’s Health Forum chief executive Martin Tod said: “Men are not getting the services they need on weight loss either from the NHS or commercial providers.
“It is crucial that local government and the NHS put the guidance into practice and develop programmes that appeal to and work for men.”
The guide takes into account research led by the University of Aberdeen which looked into male attitudes and behaviour towards health.
It revealed that the majority of weight management programmes are regarded by men as ‘feminised spaces’ and they often feel uncomfortable joining in.
This may explain why fewer than 30% of people attending weight-loss programmes are male despite the fact that 68% of UK men are either obese or overweight.
The guide also revealed that using humour and encouraging camaraderie among those getting fit makes programmes more attractive to men.
You can download the guide here: http://www.menshealthforum.org.uk/best-practice-weight-loss-programmes.
Picture courtesy of FBellon, with thanks
