Early figures from a new piece of work commissioned by the Men's Health Forum show a link between marriage and men being over-weight. Or is it work that makes men fat?
Obesity is a very serious issue for both men and women. The latest figures show men are more likely to be overweight or obese than women and boys are more likely to be overweight or obese than girls.
This research shows that, on average, men eat differently and have a different diet from women – and that there is some difference in the foods that are associated with extra weight between men and women.
The response needs to be different too. We will shortly be publishing a good practice guide which will show that many of the steps that need to be taken to help men lose weight need to be different from those used with women.
For example, men tend to be more interested in programmes that tackle healthy eating and exercise than programmes that just focus on dieting and losing weight alone.
One factor in men’s different diet may be that many more men work full time and are more likely to be working and eating away from home. The research shows men in work are more likely to be overweight than men out of work. However this research also shows the diet of married couples also has a vital role to play in causing excess weight and in tackling excess weight.
Our good practice guide reflects research which shows that active support from a spouse, partner or other family members appears to help men lose weight once they are on a programme and that where spouses or partners participate in weight loss programmes together, both achieve better results.
This project continues. In the meantime:
