Feasibility and Acceptability of Behavioral Weight Loss Programs for Men in Trade and Labor Occupations: A Pilot Study

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