Please join us for our upcoming research rounds with our department head, Dr. Robert Petrella!
Sport Fandom as an Engagement Innovation in Hard-to-Reach Populations: A Cluster RCT to Evaluate a Community-Based Health Behaviour Change Intervention
Date: Wednesday 16 April 2025
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 PM Pacific Time
Location: Zoom
Talk Abstract
Obesity is a relapsing, progressive chronic disease that significantly contributes to the burden of other chronic conditions, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. Traditional weight loss and health behaviour change programs often fail to engage men, who are both more likely to engage in unhealthy behaviours and less likely to seek preventive healthcare. The Hockey Fans in Training (Hockey FIT®) program was developed as a novel, gender-sensitized intervention leveraging sport fandom to engage middle-aged men with overweight or obesity in sustainable lifestyle changes.
This lecture presents findings from a pragmatic cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluating the effectiveness of Hockey FIT in improving weight loss, cardiorespiratory fitness, physical activity, dietary habits, and other health indicators. Conducted across 42 community-based sites in Canada and the U.S., the study randomized sites to either the Hockey FIT intervention or a wait-list control. The 12-month intervention consisted of an initial three-month active phase, followed by a nine-month minimally supported maintenance phase. Key results demonstrated significant improvements in weight loss, cardiorespiratory fitness, systolic blood pressure, physical activity, as well as a host of other health indicators. High engagement and retention was also achieved, despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Process and economic evaluations further explored intervention acceptability, fidelity, adaptations, and cost-effectiveness.
Beyond its clinical impact, this study highlights the potential of sport fandom-based health interventions to reach hard-to-engage populations. Next steps have included program adaptations for women (HFIT-Women) and newcomers to Canada (FIT for Newcomers), underscoring the broader applicability of this community-based approach to public health.
Speaker Bio
Dr. Robert Petrella is currently Professor and Head (Chair) of the Department of Family Practice at the University of British Columbia (UBC) where he is also Professor of Kinesiology and sports medicine physician with the UBC Sport and Exercise Medicine Clinic in the Chan Gunn Pavilion at UBC. Dr. Petrella is Professor Emeritus at the Center for Studies in Family Medicine and Professor in the School of Kinesiology at Western University, Scientist at the Lawson Health Research Institute, Scientist with the Bone and Joint Institute at Western University.
Dr. Petrella’s research is focused on lifestyle interventions for chronic disease prevention and management. His research is dedicated to furthering multi- and inter-disciplinary team research on lifestyle management, physical activity, chronic diseases, and innovative technologies to improve the lives of all Canadians, with a specific focus on vulnerable populations (i.e., men, older adults with cognitive or mobility decline, and those living in rural and remote regions).