SynthesisObesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity2021
Effect of exercise training on psychological outcomes in adults with overweight or obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 50 papers, 6 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
50 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 86 citations in OpenAlex.
- Does physical activity really improve anxiety and depression in overweight or obese children and adolescents? A systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Psychosocial correlates of physical activity in cancer survivors: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice · 2025Pooled it
- What internet- and mobile-based interventions are currently available for adults with overweight or obesity experiencing symptoms of depression? A systematic review.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2025Pooled it
- Weight regain and mental health outcomes following behavioural weight management programmes: A systematic review with meta-analyses.Clinical obesity · 2023Pooled it
- Effect of exercise training before and after bariatric surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2021Pooled it
- Effect of exercise training on psychological outcomes in adults with overweight or obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2021Pooled it
- Effect of alternate day fasting combined with aerobic exercise on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A randomized controlled trial.Cell metabolism · 2023Trial
- Varying In-Person Coaching: Effects on Weight and Urinary Incontinence in Women with Obesity in a 20-Week Randomized Controlled Trial.International urogynecology journal · 2026Article
- Changes in self-esteem, body dissatisfaction, and body appreciation during face-to-face and digital supervised physical activity interventions in women with obesity: A dual-study investigation.Obesity pillars · 2026Article
- Physical and Psychological Effects of Home-Based vs Face-to-Face Prehabilitation in Individuals With Severe Obesity Awaiting Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
- Exploring lifestyle management in polycystic ovary syndrome through implementation frameworks.Experimental physiology · 2026Review
- Weight maintenance after discontinuation of GLP-1 therapies.EClinicalMedicine · 2026Review
- The impact of preoperative regular exercise on mental health in patients undergoing Type II incision surgery.Perioperative medicine (London, England) · 2026Article
- Self-confidence and body image among adults engaged in daily bodybuilding exercise compared with non-exercising adults: a case-control study.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Effects of an 8-Week Resistance Exercise Program on Body Composition and Lipid Profile in Women with Obesity.Frontiers in physiology · 2026Article
- Physical activity and exercise within the context of obesity treatment: Enhancing health beyond weight loss.Journal of sport and health science · 2025Review
- Article
- Article
- Exercise training in metabolic and bariatric surgery: An overview of systematic reviews.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2025Review
- A novel approach to cancer rehabilitation: assessing the influence of exercise intervention on postoperative recovery and survival rates.International journal of surgery (London, England) · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
14 authors at 9 institutions in 8 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
This study systematically identified the effects of exercise on multiple psychological outcomes among adults with overweight/obesity, also assessing whether these effects differed across exercise types, genders, age, and body mass index (BMI) categories. Pubmed, Web of Science, PsychInfo, and SportDiscus were searched up to October 2019 for peer-reviewed papers assessing exercise training effects on psychosocial outcomes in adults with overweight/obesity. Thirty-six articles, 32 randomized controlled trials (RCTs), were included in this review. Most interventions were supervised (65%), ranging between 6 and 76 weeks (median = 12). Sixteen psychological outcomes were studied. Exercise induced positive changes in quality of life but did not reduce depression. Large effect sizes were observed on quality of life's physical component, but exercise was also able to improve vitality and mental health. Most psychological outcomes (e.g., body image, anxiety, and perceived stress) are poorly studied, evidencing either conflicting or null exercise effects. Exercise self-efficacy and autonomous motivations were also consistently improved. Exercise types and gender seem to moderate exercise psychological effects. Exercise training programs might lead to positive changes in some psychological outcomes, especially in quality of life, in adults with overweight and obesity, but more studies, with greater systematization in program characteristics, and longer follow-ups are still required to allow more solid conclusions.
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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.