Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33044541›Full record

SynthesisTranslational behavioral medicine2020

A systematic review of physical activity and quality of life and well-being.

David X Marquez, Susan Aguiñaga, Priscilla M Vásquez, David E Conroy, Kirk I Erickson, Charles Hillman, Chelsea M Stillman, Rachel M Ballard, Bonny Bloodgood Sheppard, Steven J Petruzzello and 2 more

Registry-linked trialAbstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Translational behavioral medicine, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07625163 (The Effects of Aerobic Exercise and Mindful Breathing on Symptom Severity and Quality of Life in Individuals With Major Depressive Disorder in Saudi Arabia), which is not on this map. Cited by 286 papers, 22 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
286citing papers in PubMed, 22 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

NCT07625163 nanot yet recruitingnot on this mapstarted 2026, after this paper: background citation

The Effects of Aerobic Exercise and Mindful Breathing on Symptom Severity and Quality of Life in Individuals With Major Depressive Disorder in Saudi Arabia: A Randomised Clinical Trial Protocol

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of PretoriaRan2026 to 2026Enrolled60ConditionsMajor Depressive Disorder (MDD)ArmsAerobic exercise, Mindful Breathing
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

286 citing papers in PubMed, 22 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Socioeconomic inequalities in exposure to neighbourhood environments for physical activity: a systematic review.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2026
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  6. Physical inactivity in chronic airways disease: an important candidate in the treatable traits paradigm.European respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society · 2026
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  10. Combined cardiorespiratory and resistance training for people with stroke.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025
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  11. Resistance training for people with stroke.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025
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226 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

David X MarquezDepartment of Kinesiology and Nutrition, Center for Research on Health and Aging, Institute for Health Research and Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
Susan AguiñagaDepartment of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.
Priscilla M VásquezDepartment of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
David E ConroyDepartment of Kinesiology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
Kirk I EricksonDepartment of Psychology, Brain Aging and Cognitive Health Lab, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Charles HillmanDepartment of Psychology and Department of Physical Therapy, Movement, and Rehabilitation Sciences, Center for Cognitive and Brain Health, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.
Chelsea M StillmanDepartment of Psychology, Brain Aging and Cognitive Health Lab, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Rachel M BallardOffice of Disease Prevention, Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Bonny Bloodgood SheppardICF Next, Fairfax, VA, USA.
Steven J PetruzzelloDepartment of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Urbana, IL, USA.
Abby C KingDepartment of Health Research and Policy, Stanford Prevention Research Center, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
Kenneth E PowellAtlanta, GA, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Maintaining or improving quality of life (QoL) and well-being is a universal goal across the lifespan. Being physically active has been suggested as one way to enhance QoL and well-being. In this systematic review, conducted in part for the 2018 U.S. Health and Human Services Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans Scientific Advisory Committee Report, we examined the relationship between physical activity (PA) and QoL and well-being experienced by the general population across the lifespan and by persons with psychiatric and neurologic conditions. Systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and pooled analyses from 2006 to 2018 were used for the evidence base. Strong evidence (predominantly from randomized controlled trials [RCTs]) demonstrated that, for adults aged 18-65 years and older adults (primarily 65 years and older), PA improves QoL and well-being when compared with minimal or no-treatment controls. Moderate evidence indicated that PA improves QoL and well-being in individuals with schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease, and limited evidence indicated that PA improves QoL and well-being for youth and for adults with major clinical depression or bipolar disorder. Insufficient evidence existed for individuals with dementia because of a small number of studies with mixed results. Future high-quality research designs should include RCTs involving longer interventions testing different modes and intensities of PA in diverse populations of healthy people and individuals with cognitive (e.g., dementia) and mental health conditions (e.g., schizophrenia) to precisely characterize the effects of different forms of PA on aspects of QoL and well-being.

Indexed as

ExerciseHealth StatusQuality of LifeBipolar DisorderHumansMajor Depressive DisorderMotivationParkinson DiseaseSchizophrenic PsychologyHealth-related quality of lifePhysical activityQuality of lifeSystematic reviewWell-being

Identifiers

PMID33044541
PMCPMC7752999

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

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.