Becoming active: more to exercise than weight loss for indigenous men

ABSTRACTObjective: To understand what motivates sedentary indigenous and ethnic minority men to become more physically active.Design: We use thematic analysis to present data from a qualitative study exploring 23 sedentary indigenous Māori (New Zealand) men's experiences of completing a 12-week exercise intervention to improve their metabolic health.Results: Four themes emerged: The Bros – having fellowship and mutual motivation; Being better informed about exercise; Impacting overall wellbeing; and Disseminating the findings beyond the study Exercise interventions informed by indigenous Māori cultural values and knowledge increased its relevance to their daily lives. The motivation for these indigenous men was more culturally-based external factors than an inherent desire to lose weight.Conclusion: Indigenous and minority men in many developed countries have high morbidity and premature mortality related to sedentary lifestyles. The low uptake of physical activities possibly relates to focusing more on o...