CQUniversity's population health research project ManUp has, for the last three years, encouraged men across Central Queensland to think and act on their health and wellbeing.

Results are now being analysed to see just how much of an impact the program has made to men in the region.

The ManUp research project has now been completed. It was run by CQUniversity‘s Centre for Physical Activity Studies (CPAS), with an aim to improve physical activity and eating habits of 35 - 54 year old men in the Gladstone region.

The project used mobile phones and the internet to allow men to monitor their physical activity and dietary habits and compete against each other to improve their health and fitness. 

As part of the Institute for Health and Social Science Research's (IHSSR) High Achievers Vacation Research Scholarships (HAVRS) program, Bachelor of Nursing student Marcus Dixon, in collaboration with Dr Camille Short, a CPAS researcher, will spend the next several weeks compiling data gathered from participants within the program. LINK here for story

"Working with qualitative data from telephone interviews, which were conducted with study participants, the research will find out what participants did and didn't like about the program, why they did or did not use the program, their expectations and how useful they found the materials" says Dr Mitch Duncan, who was leading the study .  

"As part of this bigger project, we will also examine usage statistics on the ManUp website and mobile phone application to understand how an IT based strategy to promote health behaviours can be used to promote health among at-risk men. As such we want to examine how well technology based programs are working," says CPAS Director Dr Corneel Vandelanotte.

"Males frequently cite a preference for IT-based strategies compared to face-to-face interventions but little is known about how to engage men in such programs in the first place and what strategies are most effective," Dr Short adds.

"These interventions are promising from a public health perspective because they have the ability to provide comprehensive health behaviour advice to large audiences at a low cost.

It is anticipated that the collection of data will be used for reviews and papers to improve men's health in the region.