European Fans in Training (EuroFIT): working with professional football clubs to help men become more active and less sedentary
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN81935608 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN81935608 |
| Protocol serial number | 7.0 |
| Sponsor | University of Glasgow |
| Funder | Seventh Framework Programme |
- Submission date
- 05/06/2015
- Registration date
- 16/06/2015
- Last edited
- 24/03/2023
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Other
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
Inactive and sedentary lifestyles are pandemic. In Europe, lack of physical activity accounts for around a million deaths per year (about 10% of the total). It is also a major contributor to a number of diseases, including coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, breast cancer and colon cancer. Sedentary behaviour and low physical activity are both associated with other risk factors for ill health such as poor diet and obesity. In 2006, physical inactivity costs the EU €150-300 per citizen each year, accounting for around 1.5-3.0% for the health care budget; in 2010, obesity was responsible for up to 8% of EU health care costs. A critical issue is that existing health promotion programmes, even when they work well, reach only a small proportion of the population. There are large gender imbalances in recruitment (only between 10% and 30% of participants are men), and participants tend to be well-educated. Programmes tailored specifically to attract men and to less educated population groups are urgently needed. EuroFIT’s key innovation is to harness the personal connection, loyalty and attachment many men feel to football and their club to attract them to health-promoting lifestyle change programmes delivered in top-flight European football clubs. Here, the EuroFIT (European Fans in Training) study will look at how a 12-week programme (the EuroFIT programme) held at football clubs can help men improve their lifestyle. The study aims to attract men to lifestyle change through the personal connection and loyalty to the team they support.
Who can participate?
Men aged 30-65 with a BMI of 27 kg/m2.
What does the study involve?
All potential participants are initially invited to an information evening where what is involved in taking part is explained. If they then decide to take part, they are given a small activity monitor, the ActivPAL, to wear for 7 days. The ActivePAL is worn on the thigh and records physical activity throughout the day, as well as how much time spent sitting, standing or lying down. The ActivPAL device is collected one week later and each participants height, weight, waist size and blood pressure is measured. They are also asked to complete a questionnaire about their physical activity, eating habits, general physical health and wellbeing. The participants are then randomly assigned to one of two groups. Those in group 1 (intervention group) enter the EuroFit programme. The programme consists of 12, weekly group sessions at football clubs and led by club coaches. It includes a combination of classroom-based learning and physical activity training to help men become more active, fitter, eat better and reduce the time they spend sitting down. Those in group 2 (control) are not enrolled in the EuroFit programme. All participants from both groups are followed up 3 months and again 12 months later whereby they are asked to wear the ActivPAL device for 7 days, their weight, height, waist size and blood pressure are measured and the questionnaire is completed again. They are also asked to provide a small blood sample (this is optional). Participants may also be asked to attend focus group discussions during these follow ups. Once the study is complete, participants in the control group are invited to take part in the EuroFIT programme.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
Although we can’t promise that taking part in the study will directly benefit the participants, we hope that EuroFIT programme will help them become more active and lead a healthier lifestyle. It is very unlikely that participants will come to any harm from taking part. If they agree to have their blood taken, minor bruising or an inflammation of the vein may occur. We minimize this risk by using well trained staff and good practice. Some people may feel faint when they give blood. There is a small possibility that taking part in this study will reveal a health problem that a participant already has such as high blood pressure. If we find this, we will let them know and ask them to take the information to their GP who can assess the issue and discuss the appropriate care options.
Where is the study run from?
The research is being conducted at 15 football clubs in England, Netherlands, Norway and Portugal
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
November 2013 to June 2017
Who is funding the study?
European Commission’s FP7 program
Who is the main contact?
Dr Chris Bunn (public)
Professor Sally Wyke (scientific)
Contact information
Public
27 Bute Gardens, University of Glasgow, Glasgow
Glasgow
G12 8RS
United Kingdom
 ORCID ID |
0000-0001-6604-1305 |
|---|
Scientific
27 Bute Gardens, University of Glasgow, Glasgow
Glasgow
G12 8RS
United Kingdom
| ORCID ID |
0000-0002-7509-8247 |
|---|
Study information
| Primary study design | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Study design | Interventional multi centre trial |
| Secondary study design | Randomised controlled trial |
| Study type | Participant information sheet |
| Scientific title | Social innovation to improve physical activity and sedentary behaviour through elite European football clubs: European Fans in Training |
| Study acronym | EuroFIT |
| Study objectives | Can a 12-week gender-sensitised behavioural change programme based in elite European football clubs enable men aged 30-65 with a BMI of 27 or more to increase their physical activity levels and reduce the time they spend in sedentary states? |
| Ethics approval(s) | 1. Ethics committee of the VU University Medical Center (Netherlands), 09/06/2015, ref: 2015.184 2. Ethics Council of the Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon (Portugal), 03/08/2015, ref: 36/2015 3. Ethics Committee at the University of Glasgow College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences (UK), 15/07/2015 ,ref: 200140174 4. Regional committees for medical and health research ethics (Norway), 19/11/2015, ref: 2015/1862 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Physical activity and sedentary behaviour |
| Intervention | The study design is a two arm, stratified, individually randomised within clubs, pragmatic, controlled trial to assess the effect of the EuroFIT programme with an embedded process evaluation across four European countries. Participants will be randomly allocated to receive the EuroFIT programme or comparator. Both intervention and control group participants will receive a healthy advice leaflet. The comparison group is a ‘waiting list’ group. This means that the comparison group will be placed on a ‘waiting list’ to receive the EuroFIT intervention after the 12 months measurement. The intervention group will then receive the EuroFIT programme. The EuroFIT programme is designed to support men to become more active, less sedentary, improve their diet, and maintain these changes long term. It is delivered through twelve, weekly, 90-minute group sessions delivered by club community coaching staff. They include classroom-based learning activities and physical activity training using club facilities. The men receive scientific information delivered simply (“science but not rocket science”) and a “toolbox” of skills and behaviour change techniques they can apply to make changes and maintain them long-term. The men also receive a state-of-the-art self-monitoring device (the SitFIT) that allows them to self-monitor increases in physical activity (through walking) and time spent standing in their daily lives. In addition to the SitFIT, the MatchFIT application, will stimulate social support. Coaches are trained to provide a positive social environment that supports men to make changes that suit them in the context of their own lives. The programme is gender-sensitised in relation to context, content and style of delivery. In relation to context, delivery through top professional football clubs aims to attract men by tapping into the powerful loyalty and affiliation they feel towards the club they support and to engage them by appealing to their existing identities as football fans. In relation to style of delivery, the programme is designed to maximise the time spent in interaction with peers and coaches on specific topics to encourage learning and mutual support. Coaches, who receive two days of training to deliver EuroFIT, help the men feel comfortable and receptive to change from the outset by demonstrating that they are with other ‘men-like-me’ and that their efforts are valued by the coach and the club. Engagement is promoted by ensuring the sessions are enjoyable, fun, experiential and interactive. Banter is used to create a mutually supportive ‘team’ environment which encourages the men to learn from each other by sharing tips and advice. EuroFIT draws on psychological theory (i.e. Achievement Goal Theory and Self-Determination Theory) and on sociological theories of identity management and masculinity to provide a ‘toolbox’ of evidence-based behaviour change techniques (e.g. self-monitoring, goal setting, implementation intentions) that have been shown to increase physical activity and improve diet . Simple, practical, relevant messages allow participants to understand what they personally can do to improve their physical activity, sedentary behaviour and diet, and how to use behaviour change techniques and strategies in ways that are consistent with their current lifestyles. This is designed to promote sustained behaviour change through the formation of new healthy habits that become part of everyday routine in their normal lives. Positive feedback and celebration of individual progress (not just achievement) towards small, short-term goals helps the men to feel competent and confident that they can succeed in their long term physical activity, sedentary behaviour, healthy eating and weight loss (if appropriate) targets. Men are also encouraged to recognise the personal benefits to them (e.g. feeling fitter, having more energy) of the changes that they are making and to develop individual relapse prevention strategies. Interaction with others through the programme and beyond is designed to support long-term changes through the co-construction of changes to identities and the ways they are performed and expressed. Long-term social support is promoted throughout the programme both within the group (e.g. through social media, through a web-based app that promotes social interaction around physical activity, and by meeting up between sessions to exercise together) and among their wider social networks (e.g. family, friends). |
| Intervention type | Behavioural |
| Primary outcome measure(s) |
1. Changes to total physical activity (i.e. steps per day) at 3 and 12 months after baseline, objectively measured with the ActivPAL device (an instrument worn on the thigh for one week at a time to capture the pattern and intensity of the participant’s activities) |
| Key secondary outcome measure(s) |
1. Body weight at 3 and 12 months after baseline, objectively measured with weight scales, |
| Completion date | 01/06/2017 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Healthy volunteer |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Sex | Male |
| Target sample size at registration | 1200 |
| Key inclusion criteria | 1. Men 2. Aged 30 to 65 3. Self-reported BMI 27 kg/m2 4. Consent to randomisation 5. Willing to consent to the measurements conducted as part of the trial (ActivPAL, body weight and height, resting blood pressure, waist circumference, questionnaires). |
| Key exclusion criteria | 1. Men who do not provide at least 4 out of 7 days of usable data from objective measurement of physical activity/sedentary time (activPAL) at baseline. This will be checked by researchers preceding further baseline measurement, men will be provided with an extra possibility to wear the activPAL when providing not enough data is due to malfunctioning of the device, if time permits 2. Men who answer ‘yes’ on one of the section 2 questions of the adapted self-reported PAR-Q+ screening instrument |
| Date of first enrolment | 22/06/2015 |
| Date of final enrolment | 01/04/2016 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- United Kingdom
- Scotland
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Portugal
Study participating centres
Glasgow
G12 8RS
United Kingdom
Amsterdam
1081 HZ
Netherlands
1649-004
Portugal
0863
Norway
Results and Publications
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | No |
|---|---|
| IPD sharing plan summary | Not provided at time of registration |
| IPD sharing plan | Not provided at time of registration |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results article | results | 05/02/2019 | Yes | No | |
| Results article | qualitative data implementation secondary outcomes | 20/03/2023 | 24/03/2023 | Yes | No |
| Protocol article | protocol | 19/07/2016 | Yes | No | |
| Participant information sheet | Participant information sheet | 11/11/2025 | 11/11/2025 | No | Yes |
| Study website | Study website | 11/11/2025 | 11/11/2025 | No | Yes |
Editorial Notes
24/03/2023: Publication reference added.
06/02/2019: Publication reference added.
21/07/2016: Publication reference added.
30/03/2016: Ethics approval information added.
