Fun’s best way to fight flab

FUN is the key for fat men in the battle of the bulge, according to Scottish scientists.

They found overweight males need ‘humour and camaraderie’ to fight the flab, while slimming clubs are seen as ‘feminised’ and are given a wide berth.

The use of pedometers and ‘gadgets’ were found to make programmes more appealing to males, and a health scare was a ‘strong motivator’ for them to lose weight, said the researchers at Stirling, Aberdeen and Bournemouth universities.

Though 67 per cent of men are either overweight or obese – significantly more than the 58 per cent of women – the study published yesterday shows only around 10-30 per cent of men are likely to join weight loss programmes.

The research also shows that men may not know or care if they have a weight problem and tend to be more cynical about ‘health messages’.

Following the findings, a guide – How To Make Weight-loss Services Work For Men – has been launched by the Men’s Health Forum charity.

It is said to be the first of its kind and, as well as highlighting the importance of humour and camaraderie, it says offering a ‘male only’ group may make men more likely to join.

Professor Pat Hoddinott, of Stirling University’s School of Health Sciences, contributed to the research. He said: ‘It is particularly important for nurses and health professionals to realise a health scare is a strong motivator for men to change their behaviour – and a little bit of timely light-hearted encouragement can make a big difference.’

Martin Tod, chief executive of the Men’s Health Forum, said it was ‘crucial’ that local councils and the NHS develop programmes that appeal to males. He added: ‘Otherwise men will continue to disproportionately suffer from avoidable disease and unnecessarily early death.’