Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36731907›Full record

SynthesisBritish journal of sports medicine2023

Exercise as medicine for depressive symptoms? A systematic review and meta-analysis with meta-regression.

Andreas Heissel, Darlene Heinen, Luisa Leonie Brokmeier, Nora Skarabis, Maria Kangas, Davy Vancampfort, Brendon Stubbs, Joseph Firth, Philip B Ward, Simon Rosenbaum and 2 more

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

Synthesis in British journal of sports medicine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06338917 (Moderate-to-Vigorous Intensity Physical Activity as a Tool for Severe Mental Illness Recuperation Process), which is not on this map. Cited by 202 papers, 33 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
202citing papers in PubMed, 33 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.

NCT06338917 naactive not recruitingnot on this mapstarted 2024, after this paper: background citation

Moderate-to-Vigorous Intensity Physical Activity as a Tool for Severe Mental Illness Recuperation Process: Study Protocol for a Pragmatic Controlled Clinical Trial (+moviMENT)

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of Vic - Central University of CataloniaRan2024 to 2026Enrolled100ConditionsMental Health IssueArmsModerate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity program (+moviMENT)
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

202 citing papers in PubMed, 33 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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142 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.

Andreas HeisselSocial and Preventive Medicine, Department of Sports and Health Sciences, Intra faculty unit "Cognitive Sciences", Faculty of Human Science and Faculty of Health Sciences Brandenburg, Research Area Services Research and e-Health, Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany andreas.heissel@uni-potsdam.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9270-7027
Darlene HeinenSocial and Preventive Medicine, Department of Sports and Health Sciences, Intra faculty unit "Cognitive Sciences", Faculty of Human Science and Faculty of Health Sciences Brandenburg, Research Area Services Research and e-Health, Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9172-9718
Luisa Leonie BrokmeierSocial and Preventive Medicine, Department of Sports and Health Sciences, Intra faculty unit "Cognitive Sciences", Faculty of Human Science and Faculty of Health Sciences Brandenburg, Research Area Services Research and e-Health, Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4136-9704
Nora SkarabisSocial and Preventive Medicine, Department of Sports and Health Sciences, Intra faculty unit "Cognitive Sciences", Faculty of Human Science and Faculty of Health Sciences Brandenburg, Research Area Services Research and e-Health, Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany.
Maria KangasSchool of Psychological Sciences, Centre for Emotional Health, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8693-2949
Davy VancampfortDepartment of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4592-8625
Brendon StubbsPhysiotherapy Department, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust; Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Kings College London, London, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7387-3791
Joseph FirthDivision of Psychology and Mental Health, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, UK; NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Westmead Australia; Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0618-2752
Philip B WardDiscipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health, UNSW Sydney, Sydney New South Wales, Australia; Ingham Institute of Applied Medical Research, UNSW, Liverpool BC, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5779-7722
Simon RosenbaumSchool of Psychiatry, UNSW, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8984-4941
Mats HallgrenEpidemiology of Psychiatric Conditions, Substance use and Social Environment (EPiCSS), Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institute Solna, Solna, Sverige, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0599-2403
Felipe SchuchDepartment of Sports Methods and Techniques, Federal University of Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Brazil.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5190-4515

Funding

Medical Research Council MR/T021780/1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo estimate the efficacy of exercise on depressive symptoms compared with non-active control groups and to determine the moderating effects of exercise on depression and the presence of publication bias.

designSystematic review and meta-analysis with meta-regression. DATA SOURCES: The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, SPORTDiscus, PsycINFO, Scopus and Web of Science were searched without language restrictions from inception to 13 September2022 (PROSPERO registration no CRD42020210651). ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES: Randomised controlled trials including participants aged 18 years or older with a diagnosis of major depressive disorder or those with depressive symptoms determined by validated screening measures scoring above the threshold value, investigating the effects of an exercise intervention (aerobic and/or resistance exercise) compared with a non-exercising control group.

resultsForty-one studies, comprising 2264 participants post intervention were included in the meta-analysis demonstrating large effects (standardised mean difference (SMD)=-0.946, 95% CI -1.18 to -0.71) favouring exercise interventions which corresponds to the number needed to treat (NNT)=2 (95% CI 1.68 to 2.59). Large effects were found in studies with individuals with major depressive disorder (SMD=-0.998, 95% CI -1.39 to -0.61, k=20), supervised exercise interventions (SMD=-1.026, 95% CI -1.28 to -0.77, k=40) and moderate effects when analyses were restricted to low risk of bias studies (SMD=-0.666, 95% CI -0.99 to -0.34, k=12, NNT=2.8 (95% CI 1.94 to 5.22)).

conclusionExercise is efficacious in treating depression and depressive symptoms and should be offered as an evidence-based treatment option focusing on supervised and group exercise with moderate intensity and aerobic exercise regimes. The small sample sizes of many trials and high heterogeneity in methods should be considered when interpreting the results.

Indexed as

DepressionMajor Depressive DisorderExerciseExercise TherapyHumansDepressionExercisePsychiatryPublic health

Identifiers

PMID36731907
PMCPMC10423472

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.