Trial reportPloS one2016
Exercise as an Intervention to Reduce Study-Related Fatigue among University Students: A Two-Arm Parallel Randomized Controlled Trial.
Trial report in PloS one, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 73 citations in OpenAlex.
- The impact of mindfulness training and physical exercise on student academic burnout and academic achievement: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Pooled it
- Exercise interventions to improve sleep quality in university students: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- Effectiveness of physical exercise on mental health among university students: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Pooled it
- The effectiveness of physical activity interventions in improving higher education students' mental health: A systematic review.Health promotion international · 2024Pooled it
- A quasiexperimental study of assessing the impact of stress management program on health science students at Kuwait University.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Mapping the Symptom Networks of Depression, Anxiety, and Their Comorbidity Among Chinese Individuals Under Community Correction.Psychiatry investigation · 2026Article
- Aerobic Exercise Rejuvenates the Fatigued Brain: Evidence from EEG and Flicker Values.Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback · 2026Article
- Effects of team sports on sleep quality: a systematic review.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Review
- Low self esteem contributes to medical student social media addiction through chain mediation by academic Involution and anxiety.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- A scoping review of physical activity interventions to support the mental health of students aged 16 to 25.Discover public health · 2025Review
- The chain mediating effect of mindfulness and self-esteem in the relationship between leisure-time physical activity and academic burnout among college students.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Evolution and Treatment of Academic Burnout in Nursing Students: A Systematic Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Preventive Effects of a Single Bout of Exercise on Memory and Attention following One Night of Sleep Loss in Sports Students: Results of a Randomized Controlled Study.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Positive Orientation and Fatigue Experienced by Polish Nursing Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Mediatory Role of Emotional Control.Journal of clinical medicine · 2022Article
- Intervention Effect of Long-Term Aerobic Training on Anxiety, Depression, and Sleep Quality of Middle School Students With Depression After COVID-19.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2021Article
- Stress and behavioral changes with remote E-exams during the Covid-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study among undergraduates of medical sciences.Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) · 2020Article
- The effect of regular aerobic exercise on sleep quality and fatigue among female student dormitory residents.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2020Article
- Epidemic Rumination and Resilience on College Students' Depressive Symptoms During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Mediating Role of Fatigue.Frontiers in public health · 2020Article
- Epidemiology of burnout syndrome in four occupational sectors in Cameroon-impact of the practice of physical activities and sport.AIMS public health · 2020Article
- Association Between Sleep Quality and Physical Activity in Saudi Arabian University Students.Nature and science of sleep · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMany university students experience high levels of study-related fatigue. This high prevalence, and the negative impact of fatigue on health and academic performance, call for prevention and reduction of these symptoms. The primary aim of the current study was to investigate to what extent an exercise intervention is effective in reducing three indicators of study-related fatigue (emotional exhaustion, overall fatigue, and need for recovery). Effects of exercise on secondary outcomes (sleep quality, self-efficacy, physical fitness, and cognitive functioning) were also investigated.
methodsParticipants were students with high levels of study-related fatigue, currently not exercising or receiving other psychological or pharmacological treatments, and with no medical cause of fatigue. They were randomly assigned to either a six-week exercise intervention (low-intensity running three times a week, n = 49) or wait list (no intervention, n = 48). All participants were measured before the intervention (T0), and immediately after the intervention (T1). Exercisers were also investigated 4 weeks (T2) and 12 weeks (T3) after the intervention.
resultsParticipants in the exercise condition showed a larger decrease in two of the three indicators of study-related fatigue (i.e., overall fatigue and need for recovery) as compared to controls. Additionally, sleep quality and some indicators of cognitive functioning improved more among exercisers than among controls. No effects were found for self-efficacy, and physical fitness. The initial effects of the exercise intervention lasted at follow-up (T2 and T3). At 12-week follow up (T3), 80% of participants in the exercise condition still engaged in regular exercise, and further enhancements were seen for emotional exhaustion, overall fatigue, and sleep quality.
conclusionsThese results underline the value of low-intensity exercise for university students with high levels of study-related fatigue. The follow-up effects that were found in this study imply that the intervention has the potential to promote regular exercise and accompanying beneficial effects in the longer run.
trial registrationNetherlands Trial Register NTR4412.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.