Macho culture leading to obesity in men, report suggests
A new report from Slimming World, published during Men's Health Week, finds that a macho culture of big portions of high calorie fast and processed food and binge-drinking is contributing to obesity in men.
The 'Machobesity' report from Slimming World reveals that many men see choosing healthy food, reading nutrition labels and seeking help with managing their weight as ‘feminine,’ which could be a key factor in why men are more likely to be overweight than women.
Professor Kevin Fenton, national director of health and wellbeing at Public Health England, corroborated the report’s findings: “Around 67% of men are overweight or obese, which is significantly more than women at 58%,” he said, “and we know the vast majority of those in weight loss programmes are women.
“It’s important to cut back on sugary and fatty snacks, keep an eye on portion sizes and be mindful of alcohol consumption. Making better choices today, like losing weight, can have a huge influence on your health in the future.”
The report included research of overweight men conducted by Ipsos Mori, which found they typically see high-calorie foods like meat pie, fried chicken, chips, ribs and fried breakfast as ‘masculine’. Eating big portions and drinking lots of alcohol in one go are seen as more manly behaviours, too.
On the other hand, eating typically lower calorie foods like salad, Quorn and yoghurt, choosing the healthiest thing on the menu and looking at nutrition labels, are seen as ‘feminine.’
Dr Jacquie Lavin, head of nutrition and research at Slimming World, says: “Current data shows that men are more likely to be overweight or obese than women and more likely to carry excess fat around their stomach, which has been found to pose an additional health risk.
“While most overweight men say they do want to lose weight, this report suggests there is a cultural expectation that men should consume lots of processed and fast foods that are high in fat and calories and lots of alcohol and this increases their chances of gaining weight. They also feel a social pressure not to seek support to lose weight.”
When it comes to losing weight, the research reveals that overweight men see dealing with things by themselves and not asking for help as ‘masculine’ and worrying about weight as ‘feminine’. Perhaps as a result, they take around five-and-a-half years to first talk about their weight worries and more than six years – three times longer than women – to try to tackle them.
“For too many men,” said Tom Brake, Liberal Democrat MP and Vice-Chair of the All-Party Group for Men’s Health, “the very important issue of healthy lifestyle is neglected.
“That’s why the ‘Machobesity' report is so concerning and why I believe that all men urgently need to face up to the facts; if they’re overweight it’s time to ditch the full fat and lager and start exercising, eating more healthily and joining a class to help motivation.”
The National Federation of Builders, which represents what is still a male-dominated industry, also welcomed the research, and demonstrated its practical applications:
“The construction industry is changing. It is modernising to attract new talent and dispel stereotypes, such as the amount of physical activity involved in construction,” said head of policy and research, Paul Bogle.
“With an ever-increasing focus on collaboration across the industry, now is the perfect time join a proven support network, such as Slimming World, while we can still slow the increasing rate of obesity in the workplace.”
The report revealed that 72% of overweight men see physical activity as a socially acceptable way for a man to lose weight, compared to 21% who feel that attending a commercial weight management organisation is socially acceptable for a man.
While overweight men see competitive team sports as the masculine ideal when it comes to getting active, in reality, many said they would find it difficult or impossible to achieve more modest targets like running 100m without stopping (31%), doing 10 press-ups (35%) or swimming four lengths of a 25 metre swimming pool (29%).
However, data presented in the report shows that when men do join commercial weight management organisations they are very successful and lose more weight than women – 5.7% in 12 weeks compared to 4.3% - and attend more frequently.
“It’s unfortunate for men that the method of weight loss they see as most socially acceptable – physical activity – is also the hardest to achieve when you struggle with weight,” Dr Lavin continued.
“Men are often worried that they will be mocked if they join a slimming group, imagining that it’s a woman’s world and that if they were to attend then they’d be the only man there. However, there are now 40,000 men attending Slimming World groups in communities across the UK and Ireland – an average of three per group. The results speak for themselves, with men losing more than 5% body weight in 12 weeks, which health professionals agree reduces their risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer.
“Possibly even more motivating for men though is our finding that they have sex more often after losing weight with Slimming World. Our research found that while the majority had sex once-a-month or more before losing weight, they now have it at least once-a-week!”
Slimming World is promoting the hashtag #SlimLikeAMan to encourage men to share their progress in making healthy lifestyle changes to manage their weight.
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