SynthesisBMC public health2022
The association between physical activity and mental health during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review.
Synthesis in BMC public health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 106 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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
106 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Daily routine disruptions and psychiatric symptoms amid COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis of data from 0.9 million individuals in 32 countries.BMC medicine · 2024Pooled it
- How the COVID-19 pandemic and related school closures reduce physical activity among children and adolescents in the WHO European Region: a systematic review and meta-analysis.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2023Pooled it
- Mental health and quality of life in children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review of longitudinal studies.Frontiers in public health · 2023Pooled it
- Intervention of Physical Activity for University Students with Anxiety and Depression during the COVID-19 Pandemic Prevention and Control Period: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- A physical activity and socioemotional intervention for residents of a large vulnerable community in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic: a randomized controlled study.Frontiers in public health · 2025Trial
- The Impact of COVID-19 on Health Behavior Engagement and Psychological and Physical Health Among Active Duty Military Enrolled in a Weight Management Intervention: An Exploratory Study.Military medicine · 2024Trial
- Self-Reported Outdoor Activities and Perceived Stress During the First COVID-19 Wave: A Cross-Sectional Study in Poland and Italy.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026Article
- Feasibility and Acceptability of a Mobile App and Wearable Device for Collecting Mental Health Survey and Passively Sensed Data Among Health Care Workers in Kenya: Mixed Methods Pilot Study.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2026Article
- Physical Activity Prevalence and Sex-Associated Factors Among University Students During the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Burnout in medical residents: the combined influence of on-call burden, somatic symptomatology, insomnia severity, and physical activity.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Article
- The impact of a freestyle rope-skipping intervention on resilience in junior high school students: the mediating role of self-efficacy.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Physical activity and mental health in children and adolescents during and after the COVID-19 pandemic: findings from the six-wave German COPSY study.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Article
- The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on wellbeing up to 2.5 years from its outbreak in Switzerland.Journal of public health (Oxford, England) · 2025Article
- Psychological distress and loneliness among European university students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a European survey.BMC public health · 2025Article
- The influence of structured physical activity on vaccination response from adults to older individuals: a systematic review on the Immunoinflammatory crosstalk of COVID-19.Immunity & ageing : I & A · 2025Review
- Health Consequences of COVID-19 Pandemic in Older Adults with Musculoskeletal Conditions: A Cross-Sectional Path Analysis Model.Geriatrics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Threat of coronavirus and depressive symptoms in adolescents: do 24-hour movement behaviors mediate this relationship?BMC public health · 2025Article
- The Relationship Between Physical Activity and Problematic Internet Use in Turkish College Students: The Chain-Mediated Role of Self-Control and Distress.The Psychiatric quarterly · 2025Article
- Physical exercise and depression in university students with psychological resilience as mediator and family support as moderator.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Physical Activity in Mental Health Treatment: Clinician Perspectives and Practices.Clinics and practice · 2025Article
46 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionThe Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic affected countries worldwide and has changed peoples' lives. A reduction in physical activity and increased mental health problems were observed, mainly in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, this systematic review aims to examine the association between physical activity and mental health during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
methodsIn July 2021, a search was applied to PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Eligibility criteria included cross-sectional, prospective, and longitudinal study designs and studies published in English; outcomes included physical activity and mental health (e.g., depressive symptoms, anxiety, positive and negative effects, well-being).
resultsThirty-one studies were included in this review. Overall, the studies suggested that higher physical activity is associated with higher well-being, quality of life as well as lower depressive symptoms, anxiety, and stress, independently of age. There was no consensus for the optimal physical activity level for mitigating negative mental symptoms, neither for the frequency nor for the type of physical activity. Women were more vulnerable to mental health changes and men were more susceptive to physical activity changes.
conclusionPhysical activity has been a good and effective choice to mitigate the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Public health policies should alert for possibilities to increase physical activity during the stay-at-home order in many countries worldwide.
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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.