SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS AND INTEGRATED REPORT ON THE QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE EVIDENCE BASE FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF OBESITY IN ADULT MEN.(RE-SUBMITTED 17.04.11)

Systematic reviews and integrated report on the quantitative and qualitative evidence base for the management of obesity in men

Obesity increases the risk of many serious illnesses, such as coronary heart disease, diabetes and osteoarthritis. Weight-related problems could cost the NHS £6.4 billion/year by 2015. Men are much less likely than women to take part in programmes to help them lose weight, despite the fact that more men than women are overweight or obese in the UK. We will review all the evidence to see if weight loss programmes should be designed differently for men, and to see what can be done to encourage men to take part in these programmes. We will particularly examine which weight loss programmes help men lose weight in the long term, keep that weight off and decrease their risk of serious diseases, such as diabetes. We will also look at the evidence about where and how these services should be delivered to make them more attractive to men, since research indicates that some men feel inhibited about consulting their GP or primary care services in general. We are also interested in finding out how losing and then maintaining a healthy weight can be made more relevant for men's lives.