ArticleBMJ open sport & exercise medicine2015
Exercise as medicine-the use of group medical visits to promote physical activity and treat chronic moderate depression: a preliminary 14-week pre-post study.
Article in BMJ open sport & exercise medicine, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
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
12 citing papers in PubMed.
- Prescription-based health education integrating functional movement screening: a controlled trial in Chinese university students.Frontiers in public health · 2025Trial
- The dynamic influence of exercise on emotional state among people with a history of mood disorder.Psychiatry research · 2026Article
- The impact of sex, species, environmental context, and alternative reinforcers in animal models of cocaine use disorders.Pharmacology, biochemistry, and behavior · 2025Review
- Physical activity promotion in physical therapy, exercise therapy and other movement-based therapies: a scoping review and content analysis of intervention studies and theoretical works.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2025Article
- Article
- Acceptability and Feasibility of Survivorship Group Medical Visits for Breast Cancer Survivors in a Safety Net Hospital.Journal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education · 2024Article
- Is Frequency of Practice of Different Types of Physical Activity Associated with Health and a Healthy Lifestyle at Different Ages?European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education · 2024Article
- Increasing access to specialist care with group medical visits: summary of a pilot in a post-crisis psychiatric clinic.Frontiers in health services · 2023Article
- Evaluating clinical outcomes of routinely delivered task-shared care for depression in rural Haiti.Global mental health (Cambridge, England) · 2021Article
- Co-Calibrating Physical and Psychological Outcomes and Consumer Wearable Activity Outcomes in Older Adults: An Evaluation of the coQoL Method.Journal of personalized medicine · 2020Article
- Prediction of Depression Scores From Aerobic Fitness, Body Fatness, Physical Activity, and Vagal Indices in Non-exercising, Female Workers.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2019Article
- Jump step - a community based participatory approach to physical activity & mental wellness.BMC psychiatry · 2017Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveThe evidence that regular physical activity can treat depressive disorders is increasingly robust. However, motivating patients with depression to engage in physical activity can be challenging. Interdisciplinary group medical visits (GMVs) with an integrated physical activity component may be a novel means to support patients in becoming more active.
methodsWe conducted a 'pre-post' pilot study within a primary care setting. Participants were adults (≥18 years) with a chronic major depressive disorder or a bipolar 2 disorder (depression; chronic). A psychiatrist and exercise therapist co-led a series of 14 weekly 2 h GMVs. Each group visit combined specific medical advice, physical activity, patient discussions and a targeted educational component. Participants also attended 11 weekly hatha yoga classes. Primary outcome was 'steps' as measured by accelerometer (SenseWear) as well as depression (Patient Health Questionnaire, PHQ-9) and anxiety (Generalised Anxiety Disorder, GAD-7) ratings.
results14 of 15 participants (93.3%) completed the 14-week programme. After 3 months postintervention, median depression scales (PHQ-9) decreased 38% from 16 to 10 (p<0.01; IQR pre/post 8/12); and median anxiety scales (GAD-7) decreased 50% from 13 to 6.5 (p<0.05; IQR 8.5/9). Median daily 'steps' increased 71% from 3366 to 5746 (IQR 2610/6237), though this was not significant (p>0.10).
conclusionsWhile other studies have examined the efficacy of GMVs in addressing chronic illnesses and the promotion of lifestyle changes, none to our knowledge have embedded physical activity within the actual patient visits. Interdisciplinary GMVs (eg, psychiatrist/exercise professional) may be a means to decrease depression and anxiety ratings within clinical care while improving physical activity.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.