ArticleBMJ open sport & exercise medicine2026
Effectiveness and acceptability of exercise treatments for adults with anxiety disorders: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.
Article in BMJ open sport & exercise medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Anxiety disorders are persistent, functionally impairing conditions with high societal burden. In contrast, anxiety symptoms are elevated anxiety meeting scale thresholds (not formal diagnoses). While exercise is recognised as a complementary intervention for anxiety, the most effective mode of exercise for anxiety disorders remains unclear. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness and acceptability of exercise treatments for adults with anxiety disorders via network meta-analysis. Methods: Systematic review and frequentist network meta-analysis were conducted, searching five databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CENTRAL, SPORTDiscus) up to 1 March 2025. Treatments assessed included aerobic exercise, mind-body exercise (MBE), resistance training (RT), stretching, multicomponent exercise, cognitive-behavioral therapy, psychoeducation, waitlist control, usual care and placebo. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool 2.0 (RoB 2.0). Outcomes included anxiety severity reduction (for effectiveness) and all-cause discontinuation rates (for acceptability). Results: 30 RCTs (1421 participants) were included: four had low risk, 19 some concerns and seven high risk. For combined anxiety conditions (anxiety disorders and symptoms), RT was most effective (standardised mean difference (SMD) -0.80, 95% CI -1.24 to -0.36, SUCRA 78.7%), followed by MBE (SMD -0.78, 95% CI -1.12 to -0.44, SUCRA 77.8%). For anxiety disorders, RT was most effective (SMD -0.79, 95% CI -1.18 to -0.40, SUCRA 78.5%) and MBE for anxiety symptoms (SMD -0.84, 95% CI -1.48 to -0.20, SUCRA 77.9%). No acceptability differences across treatments; network meta-regression showed diagnosis status did not alter effects. Conclusions: Both resistance exercise and MBE may be effective for anxiety disorders, with moderate certainty evidence. Acceptability remains unclear. Prospero registration number: CRD42024561238.
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.