ArticleEClinicalMedicine2026
Physical activity and perinatal depression and anxiety: a global umbrella review and meta-meta-analysis.
Article in EClinicalMedicine, 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
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Physical activity is increasingly recognized as a non-pharmacological intervention reducing the risk of perinatal depression and anxiety, but findings from previous meta-analyses are heterogeneous. This umbrella review synthesized evidence on the overall effects of physical activity on perinatal depression and anxiety in women, including by activity intensity and type. Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, Epistemonikos, DoPHER, CINAHL, Sports Medicine & Education Index for literature published between Jan 2014 and April 2026. Eligible systematic reviews assessed randomized controlled trials of the effect of physical activity interventions on perinatal depression and/or anxiety outcomes. Pairs of authors conducted data extraction, methodological quality (AMSTAR-2) and certainty of evidence (GRADE) assessments. Overlap between included systematic reviews was assessed using the corrected covered area. Random-effects meta-meta-analyses (a meta-analysis of meta-analyses) yielded standardized mean differences (SMDs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). PROSPERO registry: CRD42024538941. Findings: A total of 4109 studies were retrieved and 20 systematic reviews with meta-analyses were included. Overlap was 8.49%. Overall physical activity reduces depressive symptoms during the perinatal period with moderate certainty of evidence (SMD: -0.56; 95%-CI: -0.93 to -0.19). Light-intensity physical activity (SMD: -0.52; 95% CI: -0.81 to -0.23) may have effects comparable to those of moderate (SMD: -0.43; 95% CI: -0.64 to -0.22) and mixed-intensity (SMD: -0.52; 95% CI: -0.80 to -0.24) interventions. Yoga (SMD: -0.55; 95%-CI: -0.95 to -0.15) and mixed activity (SMD: -0.54; 95%-CI: -0.70 to -0.38) may be particularly beneficial. PA may also be effective in reducing anxiety (SMD: -0.85, 95%-CI: -1.29 to -0.42), though research is more limited. Interpretation: Light and moderate physical activity are positively associated with a reduction in perinatal depressive and anxiety symptoms in women. Physical activity should be recommended as a non-pharmacological, feasible, and cost-effective approach to address perinatal depression, and potentially anxiety, globally. Funding: None.
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.