Cited by 368Physical Activity and HealthTreatment of Major DepressionAnxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 131 of the 131 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; 8 of the 42 sources its claims cite were checked for support.

Exercise for depression

Open access

Mead, Gillian E, Morley, Wendy, Campbell, Paul, Greig, Carolyn A, McMurdo, Marion, Lawlor, Debbie A·2009·Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

DOI 10.1002/14651858.cd004366.pub4

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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Depression is a common and important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Depression is commonly treated with antidepressants and/or psychotherapy, but some people may prefer alternative approaches such as exercise. There are a number of theoretical reasons why exercise may improve depression. OBJECTIVES: To determine the effectiveness of exercise in the treatment of depression. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched Medline, Embase, Sports Discus, PsycINFO, the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews for eligible studies in March 2007. In addition, we hand-searched several relevant journals, contacted experts in the field, searched bibliographies of retrieved articles, and performed citation searches of identified studies. We also searched www.controlled-trials.com in May 2008. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials in which exercise was compared to standard treatment, no treatment or a placebo treatment in adults (aged 18 and over) with depression, as defined by trial authors. We excluded trials of post-natal depression. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: We calculated effect sizes for each trial using Cohen's method and a standardised mean difference (SMD) for the overall pooled effect, using a random effects model. Where trials used a number of different tools to assess depression, we included the main outcome measure only in the meta-analysis. MAIN RESULTS: Twenty-eight trials fulfilled our inclusion criteria, of which 25 provided data for meta-analyses. Randomisation was adequately concealed in a minority of studies, most did not use intention to treat analyses and most used self-reported symptoms as outcome measures. For the 23 trials (907 participants) comparing exercise with no treatment or a control intervention, the pooled SMD was -0.82 (95% CI -1.12, -0.51), indicating a large clinical effect. However, when we included only the three trials with adequate allocation concealment and intention to treat analysis and blinded outcome assessment, the pooled SMD was -0.42 (95% CI -0.88, 0.03) i.e. moderate, non-significant effect. The effect of exercise was not significantly different from that of cognitive therapy. There was insufficient data to determine risks and costs. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Exercise seems to improve depressive symptoms in people with a diagnosis of depression, but when only methodologically robust trials are included, the effect sizes are only moderate and not statistically significant. Further, more methodologically robust trials should be performed to obtain more accurate estimates of effect sizes, and to determine risks and costs. Further systematic reviews could be performed to investigate the effect of exercise in people with dysthymia who do not fulfil diagnostic criteria for depression.

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

This Cochrane review found that exercise reduced depressive symptoms compared with no treatment/control, but the effect became moderate and non-significant when only methodologically robust trials were pooled. Exercise was not significantly different from cognitive therapy or antidepressants, and evidence was insufficient to determine optimal exercise parameters, risks, or costs.

Key findings

For 23 trials (907 participants) comparing exercise with no treatment/control, the pooled SMD was -0.82 (95% CI -1.12 to -0.51), indicating a large clinical effect; heterogeneity was significant (I² = 77%).
For the 3 trials (216 participants) with adequate allocation concealment, intention-to-treat analysis, and blinded outcome assessment, the pooled SMD was -0.42 (95% CI -0.88 to 0.03), a moderate but non-significant effect.
Exercise versus cognitive therapy showed no significant difference (6 trials, 152 participants; SMD -0.17, 95% CI -0.51 to 0.18), and exercise versus antidepressants also showed no significant difference (2 trials, 201 participants; SMD -0.04, 95% CI -0.31 to 0.24). One trial found exercise superior to bright light therapy (WMD -6.40, 95% CI -10.20 to -2.60).
At follow-up, 5 trials (218 participants) found a moderate effect (SMD -0.44, 95% CI -0.71 to -0.18), suggesting benefits may diminish after the intervention ends.

Methods

Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials; searched Medline, Embase, Sports Discus, PsycINFO, the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews in March 2007, plus handsearching, author contact, citation searches, and www.controlled-trials.com in May 2008.
Included adults aged 18 and over with depression as defined by trial authors; excluded trials of post-natal depression; compared any exercise with no treatment/waitlist/placebo or other treatments. Twenty-eight trials met inclusion criteria, and 25 provided data for meta-analyses.
Calculated effect sizes using Cohen’s method and pooled standardised mean differences (SMD) with a random effects model; sensitivity analyses examined publication type, allocation concealment, intention-to-treat analysis, and blinding.

Limitations

The paper states that most trials had methodological weaknesses: randomisation was adequately concealed in a minority, most did not use intention-to-treat analyses, and most used self-reported outcome measures; publication bias is possible, and data on risks and costs were insufficient.
The paper states that it cannot determine the optimum type, frequency, or duration of exercise, nor whether exercise should be supervised or unsupervised, indoors or outdoors, or group versus individual; it also cannot comment on dysthymia or sub-clinical depression, and made several post-hoc exclusions.
Evident from the text: the main comparison had significant heterogeneity (I² = 77%); funnel plot inspection suggested asymmetry, though Begg’s test (p = 0.13) and Egger’s test (p = 0.09) were not conclusive; one trial stopped recruitment when the main outcome became statistically significant, which the review states probably biased results in favour of exercise.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1002/14651858.cd004366.pub4

Cites

131 of 131 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Claims the paper makes

8 of 42 cited sources checked · 6 supported · 0 flagged · accuracy not yet measured

The cited sources support only part of this claim — read each source’s verdict below.
In the paper
“One trial found no difference between supervised and home-based exercise (Blumenthal 2007).”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > Intensity of exercise
What the sources say
- Partly supported
  The Discussion reports no difference in depression remission rates between supervised and home-based exercise, but cautions that the trial was not powered to establish that they were comparable for depressive symptoms. The Results also report better aerobic fitness with supervised exercise, so the unqualified claim of 'no difference' is too broad. (LLM, conf=0.87)
  cites Blumenthal 2007 sourceExperimental — accuracy not yet measured
Strength:plain· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passes
The sources with a verdict support this claim; the rest weren’t checked yet, have no full text we could read, or their verdicts aren’t rated yet.
In the paper
“For the two trials (201 participants) that compared exercise with antidepressants (Blumenthal 1999; Blumenthal 2007) the SMD was -0.04 (95% CI -0.31, 0.24), indicating no significant difference between the two interventions.”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > COMPARISON 4: EXERCISE VERSUS ANTIDEPRES-SANTS Primary outcome (Graph 4.1)
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Blumenthal 1999 source
- Supported
  The citation identifies the 2007 study as one of the two trials pooled by the citing paper; it does not attribute the pooled SMD to this individual trial. The cited paper’s Results report no significant difference in depressive-symptom scores between its exercise and medication groups (p = .514). (LLM, conf=0.91)
  cites Blumenthal 2007 source
Load-bearingStrength:hedged· not yet calibratedn = 201
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
Every source the paper cites for this claim was checked and supports it.
In the paper
“One trial found significantly higher rates of diarrhoea and loose stool in the sertraline than the exercise group (Blumenthal 2007).”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > Secondary outcomes
What the sources say
- Supported
  The Results (Side Effects) report a statistically significant difference between treatment groups (p = .03) in worsening diarrhoea and loose stools. The rate was 31% with sertraline, versus 21% with home-based exercise and 10% with supervised exercise. (LLM, conf=0.91)
  cites Blumenthal 2007 source
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passes
In the paper
“One trial found that exercise was superior to bright light therapy in reducing depression symptoms (Pinchasov 2000) (WMD -6.40, 95% CI -10.20, -2.60).”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > COMPARISON 3: EXERCISE VERSUS BRIGHT LIGHT THERAPY Primary outcome (Graph 3.1)
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Pinchasov 2000 source
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passes
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The pooled standardised mean difference (SMD) calculated using the random effects model was -0.82 (95% CI -1.12 to -0.51), indicating a large clinical effect.”
- Also stated in: § Summary of main results · plain
  “This review found that exercise has a large effect (SMD -0.82, 95% CI -1.12, -0.51) on depressive symptoms in people with a diagnosis of depression when compared with no treatment (waiting list/placebo).”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > Primary outcome measure Reduction in symptom severity at post-treatment (Graph 1.1)
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
In the paper
“One of the included trial provided two intensities of progressive resistance training (Singh 2005) and found that the high intensity training was more effective than the low intensity training.”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > Intensity of exercise
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Singh 2005 source
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passes
In the paper
“One of the included trials compared four different 'doses' of aerobic exercise (DOSE 2002) and found the public health dose was significantly more effective than the low dose and control in reducing weekly HRSD scores.”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > Intensity of exercise
What the sources say
- Not matched
  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
  cites DOSE 2002
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passes
A claim is checked only against the cited paper’s full text, never its abstract, and none is available for its sources.
In the paper
“Of these 28 trials, data from two studies were unsuitable for statistical pooling (McCann 1984;Greist 1979).”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > Results of the search
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites McCann 1984 source
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Greist 1979 source
Strength:plain· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passes
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“3 Reduction in depression symptoms post-treatment: studies with adequate allocation concealment 8 430 Std.Mean Difference (IV, Random, 95% CI) -0.77 [-1.12, -0.42]”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > Characteristics of included studies [ordered by study ID]
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibratedn = 430
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
- Rests on an assumption: The different depression outcome scales used across included studies measure the same underlying construct and can be validly pooled using standardized mean differences.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Test for overall effect: Z = 5.19 (P < 0.00001)”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > Characteristics of included studies [ordered by study ID]
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
- Rests on an assumption: The different depression outcome scales used across included studies measure the same underlying construct and can be validly pooled using standardized mean differences.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“5 Reduction in depression symptoms post-treatment: studies with blinded outcome assessment 7 418 Std.Mean Difference (IV, Random, 95% CI) -0.39 [-0.75, -0.03]”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > Characteristics of included studies [ordered by study ID]
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibratedn = 418
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
- Rests on an assumption: The different depression outcome scales used across included studies measure the same underlying construct and can be validly pooled using standardized mean differences.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“4 Reduction in depression symptoms post-treatment: studies using intention to treat analysis 9 403 Std.Mean Difference (IV, Random, 95% CI) -0.63 [-1.16, -0.10]”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > Characteristics of included studies [ordered by study ID]
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibratedn = 403
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
- Rests on an assumption: The different depression outcome scales used across included studies measure the same underlying construct and can be validly pooled using standardized mean differences.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“1 Reduction in depression symptoms post treatment 23 907 Std.Mean Difference (IV, Random, 95% CI) -0.82 [-1.12, -0.51]”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > Characteristics of included studies [ordered by study ID]
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibratedn = 907
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
- Rests on an assumption: The different depression outcome scales used across included studies measure the same underlying construct and can be validly pooled using standardized mean differences.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“6 Reduction in depression symptoms post-treatment: allocation concealment, ITT, blinded outcome 3 216 Std.Mean Difference (IV, Random, 95% CI) -0.42 [-0.88, 0.03]”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > Characteristics of included studies [ordered by study ID]
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedn = 216
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passes
- Rests on an assumption: The different depression outcome scales used across included studies measure the same underlying construct and can be validly pooled using standardized mean differences.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“2 Reduction in depression symptoms post-treatment: studies published as abstracts or conference proceedings only 2 34 Std.Mean Difference (IV, Random, 95% CI) -2.17 [-3.06, -1.27]”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > Characteristics of included studies [ordered by study ID]
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibratedn = 34
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passes
- Rests on an assumption: The different depression outcome scales used across included studies measure the same underlying construct and can be validly pooled using standardized mean differences.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“2 Reduction in depression symptoms follow-up 5 218 Std.Mean Difference (IV, Random, 95% CI) -0.44 [-0.71, -0.18]”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > Characteristics of included studies [ordered by study ID]
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibratedn = 218
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
- Rests on an assumption: The different depression outcome scales used across included studies measure the same underlying construct and can be validly pooled using standardized mean differences.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“1 Reduction in depression symptoms post-treatment: peer reviewed journal publications and doctoral theses only 21 867 Std.Mean Difference (IV, Random, 95% CI) -0.66 [-0.95, -0.37]”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > Characteristics of included studies [ordered by study ID]
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibratedn = 867
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passes
- Rests on an assumption: The different depression outcome scales used across included studies measure the same underlying construct and can be validly pooled using standardized mean differences.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“1.3 Resistance exercise 2 69 Std.Mean Difference (IV, Random, 95% CI) -1.34 [-2.07, -0.61]”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > Characteristics of included studies [ordered by study ID]
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibratedn = 69
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passes
- Rests on an assumption: The different depression outcome scales used across included studies measure the same underlying construct and can be validly pooled using standardized mean differences.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“1.2 Mixed exercise 4 198 Std.Mean Difference (IV, Random, 95% CI) -1.47 [-2.56, -0.37]”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > Characteristics of included studies [ordered by study ID]
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibratedn = 198
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passes
- Rests on an assumption: The different depression outcome scales used across included studies measure the same underlying construct and can be validly pooled using standardized mean differences.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Test for overall effect: Z = 3.24 (P = 0.0012)”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > Characteristics of included studies [ordered by study ID]
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
- Rests on an assumption: The different depression outcome scales used across included studies measure the same underlying construct and can be validly pooled using standardized mean differences.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“1.1 Aerobic exercise 17 640 Std.Mean Difference (IV, Random, 95% CI) -0.63 [-0.95, -0.30]”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > Characteristics of included studies [ordered by study ID]
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibratedn = 640
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
- Rests on an assumption: The different depression outcome scales used across included studies measure the same underlying construct and can be validly pooled using standardized mean differences.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“1 Reduction in depression symptoms post-treatment 6 152 Std.Mean Difference (IV, Random, 95% CI) -0.17 [-0.51, 0.18]”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > Characteristics of included studies [ordered by study ID]
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedn = 152
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
- Rests on an assumption: The different depression outcome scales used across included studies measure the same underlying construct and can be validly pooled using standardized mean differences.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“1 Reduction in depression symptoms post-treatment 2 201 Std.Mean Difference (IV, Random, 95% CI) -0.04 [-0.31, 0.24]”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > Characteristics of included studies [ordered by study ID]
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedn = 201
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
- Rests on an assumption: The different depression outcome scales used across included studies measure the same underlying construct and can be validly pooled using standardized mean differences.
In the paper
“However, a recent Cochrane review (Moncrieff 2003) found only small differences between antidepressant medications and active placebos.”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > Description of intervention
What the sources say
- Not matched
  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
  cites Moncrieff 2003
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
In the paper
“One included only trials in older people (Sjosten 2006).”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > Why it is important to do this review
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Sjosten 2006 source
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
In the paper
“One meta-analysis (Stathopoulou 2006) included only publications from peer-reviewed journals even though it is widely acknowledged that positive trials are more likely to be published than negative or inconclusive trials.”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > Why it is important to do this review
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Stathopoulou 2006 source
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
In the paper
“Exercise may act as a diversion from negative thoughts, and the mastery of a new skill may be important (LePore 1997).”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > How the intervention might work
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites LePore 1997 source
Load-bearingStrength:hedged· not yet calibratedCausal:conditional· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“There is evidence from population studies that depression is related to low levels of physical activity (Biddle 2000;Goodwin 2003).”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > How the intervention might work
What the sources say
- Not matched
  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
  cites Biddle 2000
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Goodwin 2003 source
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:correlational· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
In the paper
“One trial (Tsang 2006) stopped recruiting when the main outcome measure became statistically significant, rather than stipulating in advance how many people to recruit.”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > Incomplete outcome data
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Tsang 2006 source
Strength:plain· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passes

Probably not a substantial claim. 24
It may state two separate claims as one. 30
The quote only partly states this claim. 6

Every source the paper cites for this claim was checked and supports it.
In the paper
“A total of 28 trials fulfilled our criteria, of which 14 had already been identified in 2001 (Lawlor 2001).”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > Results of the search
What the sources say
- Supported
  The cited 2001 paper’s Study inclusion and characteristics section reports that 16 articles describing 14 studies fulfilled its inclusion criteria. The citing paper attributes the earlier identification of 14 studies to Lawlor; its total of 28 trials is its own finding, not a total attributed to this source. (LLM, conf=0.93)
  cites Lawlor 2001 source
Strength:plain· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passes
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
The cited sources support only part of this claim — read each source’s verdict below.
In the paper
“One trial (Nabkasorn 2005) provided data in graphical form only which we were able to include after manually converting the graph into mean and SD values.”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > Results of the search
What the sources say
- Partly supported
  The Results (page unavailable) direct readers to Figure 1 for changes in CES-D depression scores, supporting the claim that relevant outcome data were presented graphically. But the Results also give numerical baseline CES-D scores, and other outcomes appear in a table, so “data in graphical form only” is too broad. The citing authors’ manual conversion is their own action, not something this trial could document. (LLM, conf=0.82)
  cites Nabkasorn 2005 sourceExperimental — accuracy not yet measured
Strength:plain· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passes
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
The sources with a verdict support this claim; the rest weren’t checked yet, have no full text we could read, or their verdicts aren’t rated yet.
In the paper
“Three trials (Blumenthal 1999, Blumenthal 2007;Mather 2001) provided data on whether patients fulfilled diagnostic criteria for depression at the end of the study, as well as depression scales.”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > Results of the search
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Blumenthal 1999 source
- Supported
  The Methods describe this paper as a randomized trial with depression assessments at baseline and after 16 weeks. The Results report both whether participants still met diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder after treatment and their posttreatment HAM-D depression scores. This confirms the data attributed to Blumenthal 2007; it does not require this paper to document the other two trials. (LLM, conf=0.94)
  cites Blumenthal 2007 source
- Not matched
  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
  cites Mather 2001
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
Probably not a substantial claim.
The sources with a verdict support this claim; the rest weren’t checked yet, have no full text we could read, or their verdicts aren’t rated yet.
In the paper
“Two meta-analyses which included assessments of study quality both cautiously concluded that exercise may be effective, but recommended that further welldesigned trials are required (Sjosten 2006;Lawlor 2001).”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > Why it is important to do this review
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Sjosten 2006 source
- Supported
  The Study quality section describes an assessment of allocation concealment, intention-to-treat analysis, and blinding. The Quality of the studies section says exercise may be efficacious but cautions that much of the evidence is poor; the Implications section calls for well-designed randomised controlled trials. This confirms the portion of the two-analysis sentence attributed to Lawlor 2001, not the separate claim about Sjosten 2006. (LLM, conf=0.94)
  cites Lawlor 2001 source
Load-bearingStrength:hedged· not yet calibratedCausal:conditional· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
Probably not a substantial claim. It may state two separate claims as one.
Every source the paper cites for this claim was checked and supports it.
In the paper
“The literature was systematically searched in 2001 (Lawlor 2001).”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > Overall completeness and applicability of evidence
What the sources say
- Supported
  The cited sentence attributes only the 2001 systematic literature search to Lawlor and Hopker. The paper’s Methods, under “Identification of the studies” (page not given in our copy), describes searches of multiple databases, examination of bibliographies, contact with experts, and hand-searching. The expanded claim’s reference to a 2007 search is not part of the printed citing sentence. (LLM, conf=0.92)
  cites Lawlor 2001 source
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
Probably not a substantial claim. It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“Preliminary information published in abstract form is also included in the systematic review but data are not currently available for meta-analysis, but may be available for future versions of the review (Vickers 2005).”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > Results of the search
What the sources say
- Not matched
  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
  cites Vickers 2005
Strength:hedged· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passes
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Eight trials measured indices of fitness and correlated these with mood (Blumenthal 1999;Doyne 1987;Fremont 1987;Knuppen 2007;Martinsen 1985;Pinchasov 2000;Singh 2005; Veale 1992).Of these, four trials found that mood correlated with fitness ( Blumenthal 1999;Pinchasov 2000;Martinsen 1985;Singh 2005) whilst the other four trials found no relationship.”
- Also stated in: § Summary of main results · plain
  “Only half of the trials which related mood to indices of physical fitness found significant correlations.”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > Intensity of exercise
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:correlational· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“A further review included only older people (Sjosten 2006), whereas we included all ages of participants.”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > Agreements and disagreements with other studies or reviews
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Sjosten 2006 source
Strength:plain· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passes
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“1 Reduction in depression symptoms post-treatment 1 18 Mean Difference (IV, Random, 95% CI) -6.4 [-10.20,-2.60]”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > Characteristics of included studies [ordered by study ID]
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibratedn = 18
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✗ Based: fails
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. The paper may give no reason why it holds.
- Rests on an assumption: The different depression outcome scales used across included studies measure the same underlying construct and can be validly pooled using standardized mean differences.
In the paper
“Physical activity may have physiological effects such as changes in endorphin and monoamine levels, or reduction in the levels of the stress hormone cortisol (Duclos 2003) which all may improve mood.”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > How the intervention might work
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Duclos 2003 source
Load-bearingStrength:hedged· not yet calibratedCausal:conditional· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
It may state two separate claims as one.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Recent studies have suggested that exercise stimulated growth of new nerve cells and release of proteins known to improve health and survival of nerve cells, e.g.brainderived growth neurotrophic factor (Cotman 2002;Ernst 2005).”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > How the intervention might work
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Cotman 2002 source
- Not matched
  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
  cites Ernst 2005
Strength:hedged· not yet calibratedCausal:conditional· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passes
It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“However, a recent systematic review of Exercise on Prescription Schemes found limited evidence about their effectiveness and recommended further research (Sorensen 2006).”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > Description of intervention
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Sorensen 2006 source
Strength:plain· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passes
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Several meta-analyses (Craft 1998;Carlson 1991;North 1990;Lawlor 2001;Stathopoulou 2006;Sjosten 2006) have looked at the effect of exercise on depression and all found that exercise was of benefit.”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > Why it is important to do this review
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Craft 1998 source
- Not matched
  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
  cites Carlson 1991
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites North 1990 source
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“Depression is a well-recognised reason for seeking alternative therapies (Astin 1998).”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > Description of intervention
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Astin 1998 source
Strength:boosted· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passes
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“However, three of these reviews pooled data from a range of study types that included uncontrolled studies and randomised as well as non-randomised controlled trials, and pooled data from trials that compared exercise and no treatment with data from trials that compared exercise and other forms of treatment (Craft 1998;Carlson 1991;North 1990).”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > Why it is important to do this review
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Craft 1998 source
- Not matched
  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
  cites Carlson 1991
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites North 1990 source
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“Exercise may act as a diversion from negative thoughts, and the mastery of a new skill may be important (LePore 1997).”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > How the intervention might work
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites LePore 1997 source
Strength:hedged· not yet calibratedCausal:conditional· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passes
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
In the paper
“NICE (NICE 2006) concluded that there was insufficient evidence to recommend Exercise Referral Schemes other than as part of research studies to evaluate their effectiveness.”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > Description of intervention
What the sources say
- Not matched
  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
  cites NICE 2006
Strength:plain· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passes
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Previous systematic reviews which found that exercise improved depression included uncontrolled trials (North 1990;Craft 1998;Carlson 1991, so the results of these reviews are probably biased in favour of exercise.”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > Agreements and disagreements with other studies or reviews
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites North 1990 source
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Craft 1998 source
- Not matched
  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
  cites Carlson 1991
Strength:hedged· not yet calibratedCausal:conditional· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passes
It may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“However, we accept that some publication bias is inevitable.This is likely to lead to an overestimate of effect sizes, because positive trials are more likely to be published than negative trials.”
§ [Intervention Review] Exercise for depression > Potential biases in the review process
Strength:hedged· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passes
It may state two separate claims as one.
- Rests on an assumption: Positive trials are more likely to be published than negative trials.

51 of 51

The paper relies on this without support.
Further randomised trials have been published since the prior systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
“We have become aware that futher randomised trials have been published since these systematic reviews and meta-analyses.”
The paper relies on this without support.
Positive trials are more likely to be published than negative or inconclusive trials.
“even though it is widely acknowledged that positive trials are more likely to be published than negative or inconclusive trials.”
The paper relies on this without support.
Antidepressants may have adverse side effects, adherence can be poor, and there is a lag time between starting antidepressants and improvements in mood.
“Furthermore, antidepressants may have adverse side effects, adherence can be poor, and there is a lag time between starting antidepres-sants and improvements in mood.”
The paper relies on this without support.
Social contact may be part of the mechanism by which exercise improves mood.
“Social contact may be part of the mechanism.”
The paper relies on this without support.
Positive trials are more likely to be published than negative trials.
“because positive trials are more likely to be published than negative trials.”
The paper relies on this without support.
The different depression outcome scales used across included studies measure the same underlying construct and can be validly pooled using standardized mean differences.
“Std.Mean Difference (IV, Random, 95% CI)”

6 of 6

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

Singh 1997 has conflicting data and effect sizes in the same comparison
Major
The main exercise-versus-control analysis gives Singh 1997 standard deviations of 2.4 and 2 and an effect size of -1.75. The publication-type sensitivity analysis uses standard deviations of 9.8 and 7.7 for the same group sizes and means, changing the effect size to -0.44.
Reuter 1984 is counted in two categories of two-arm trials
Minor
The description places Reuter 1984 both among trials comparing exercise with CBT and among trials comparing CBT plus exercise with CBT alone. Its study entry describes only running plus counselling versus counselling alone.
Blinded-assessment analysis reports two participant totals
Minor
The narrative reports 411 participants for the seven blinded-assessment trials, whereas the corresponding analysis table reports 418.
Two different maximum mean ages are reported
Minor
One section states that mean ages reached 87.5 years; another gives 82.7 years as the upper end of the mean-age range.
Shortest intervention is stated as both 10 days and one week
Minor
The reported intervention-duration range starts at 10 days, but the included Pinchasov 2000 study specifies a one-week exercise intervention.

5 of 5

Meta-analysis in clinical trials
DerSimonian, R., & Laird, N. (1986) · Controlled Clinical Trials · doi:10.1016/0197-2456(86)90046-2 · Cited by 39,552
Untitled work
Schulz (1995) · doi:10.1001/jama.1995.03520290060030 · Cited by 5,634
Depression, chronic diseases, and decrements in health: results from the World Health Surveys
Moussavi, S., Chatterji, S., Verdes, E., Tandon, A., Patel, V., & Ustun, B. (2007) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(07)61415-9 · Cited by 4,070
The Handbook of Research Synthesis.
Howel, D., Cooper, H., & Hedges, L. V. (1995) · Biometrics · doi:10.2307/2533295 · Cited by 3,657
Why Patients Use Alternative Medicine: Results of a National Study
Astin, J. A. (1998) · JAMA · doi:10.1001/jama.279.19.1548 · Cited by 2,865
Exercise: a behavioral intervention to enhance brain health and plasticity
Cotman, C. (2002) · Trends in Neurosciences · doi:10.1016/s0166-2236(02)02143-4 · Cited by 2,739
Parametric measures of effect size.
Rosenthal, R. (1994) · Cited by 1,856
Effects of physical exercise on anxiety, depression, and sensitivity to stress
Salmon, P. (2001) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/s0272-7358(99)00032-x · Cited by 1,363
Effects of exercise training on older patients with major depression
Blumenthal, J. A., Babyak, M. A., Moore, K. A., Craighead, W. E., Herman, S., Khatri, P., Waugh, R., Napolitano, M. A., Forman, L. M., Appelbaum, M., et al. (1999) · Archives of Internal Medicine · doi:10.1001/archinte.159.19.2349 · Cited by 1,277
Exercise treatment for depression
Dunn, A. L., Trivedi, M. H., Kampert, J. B., Clark, C. G., & Chambliss, H. O. (2005) · American Journal of Preventive Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2004.09.003 · Cited by 1,208

Flagged first, then by citations

Show all 130 references

Research works printed but not linked: 36

Bonnet, 2005, Effects of aerobic exercise in combination with cognitive therapy on self reported depression [dissertation]
Epstein, 1986, Aerobic activity versus group cognitive therapy: an evaluative study of contrasting interventions for the alleviation of clinical depression [dissertation]
Fetsch, 1979, Dissertation
Hess-Homeier, 1981, A comparison of Beck's cognitive therapy and jogging as treatments for depression [dissertation]
Mutrie N Exercise as a treatment for moderate depression in the UK National Health Service [abstract] Proceedings of sport, health psychology and exercise symposium 1988 96 105
Reuter, 1984, Running as an adjunct to counseling in the treatment of depression [unpublished manuscript]
Setaro, 1985, Aerobic exercise and group counseling in the treatment of anxiety and depression [dissertation]
Antonelli, 1982, Sport and depression therapy, International Journal of Sport Psychology, 13, 187
Berlin, 2003, The effect of Aquatic Therapy Interventions on Patients with Depression: A Comparison Study, Annual in Therapeutic Recreation, 12, 7
Bosscher, 1993, Running and mixed physical exercises with depressed psychiatric patients, International Journal of Sport Psychology, 24, 170
Boyll, 1986, The effects of active and passive electronic muscle stimulation on self-concept, anxiety and depression [dissertation]
Buffone, 1980, Pyschological changes associated with cognitive-behavioural therapy and an aerobic running programme in the treatment of depression, Dissertation Abstracts International, 41, 0102
D'Amato, 1990, The relative efficacy of structured reminiscence and physical exercise on clinically depressed geriatric inpatients [dissertation]
Dalton, 1981, Effects of exercise and Vitamin B12 supplementation on the depression scale scores of a wheelchair confined population [dissertation]
DeVaney, 1991, Comparative effects of exercise reduction and relaxation training on Type A behaviour and dysphoric mood states in habitual aerobic exercisers [dissertation]
Giardinelli, 1996, Depression and psychomotor retardation: exercise intervention combined with a pharmacological treatment of inpatients, Minerva Psichiatrica, 37, 179
Hembree, 2001, Exercise and its effect on hopelessness and depression in an aging female population in eastern Oklahoma [dissertation]
Herrera, 1994, The efficacy of a psychological intervention for depression in patients on haemodyalysis, Psiquis, 15, 39
Kupecz, 2001, Effects of a structured exercise program in older veteran patients [dissertation]
Kurz, 1998, Effect of early morning exercises on mood and circadian rhythm in seasonal affective disorder, International Journal of Sports Medicine, 19, S81
Lacombe, 1987, The role of aerobic conditioning and psychosocial factors in mediating the effect of exercise on depression [dissertation]
Margolis, 1981, The use of exercise and group cognitive therapy in the treatment of depression [depression]
Moreau, 1981, The effectiveness of jogging as a treatment for depression [dissertation]
Passmore, 2006, Exercise as a treatment for depression: A therapeutic recreation intervention, American Journal of Recreation Therapy, 5, 31
Pezzarossa, 1991, Physical activity and psychopathological variables, Psichiatria e Psicoterapia Analitica, 10, 163
Rhodes, 1980, Mens Sana Corpore Sano: A study of the effect of jogging on depression anxiety and self concept [dissertation]
Roth, 1986, An experimental comparison of the cardiovascular and self-reported health effects of aerobic exercise and progressive relaxation [dissertation]
Sanstead, 1983, The treatment of depression through a graduated aerobic exercise intervention [dissertation]
Stein, 1989, The differential effects of aerobic and non aerobic exercise on affect and self-concept [dissertation]
Tenorio, 1986, Effects of aerobic exercise on symptoms of depression in women [dissertation]
Veale, 1992, Aerobic exercise in the adjunctive treatment of depression: A randomised controlled trial, Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 85, 541, 10.1177/014107689208500910 · DOI · Paper page
Wieman, 1980, Running as a treatment for depression: a theoretical basis [dissertation]
Williams, 1979, The effects of aerobic training and a mood control workshop on depression in male college students [dissertation]
Williams, 1992, Acute mood and EEG effects of aerobic exercise in depressed and non-depressed adults [dissertation]
Carlson, 1991, UnThe effects of exercise on depression: a review and meta-regression analysis [dissertation]
Moncrieff, 2003, Active placebo versus antidepressants for depression, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

Sorted by citations

Quantity and Quality of Exercise for Developing and Maintaining Cardiorespiratory, Musculoskeletal, and Neuromotor Fitness in Apparently Healthy Adults
Garber, C. E., Blissmer, B., Deschenes, M. R., Franklin, B. A., Lamonte, M. J., Lee, I.-M., Nieman, D. C., & Swain, D. P. (2011) · Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise · doi:10.1249/mss.0b013e318213fefb · Cited by 9,319
Exercise as medicine - evidence for prescribing exercise as therapy in 26 different chronic diseases
Pedersen, B. K., & Saltin, B. (2015) · Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports · doi:10.1111/sms.12581 · Cited by 3,514
“The findings from the Cochrane Review (Thomas et al., 2006) agree with the conclusions from a 2001 meta-analysis, which also evaluated the impact of a minimum 8-week training program on glycemic control (Boule et al., 2001).”
BackgroundResultInfluential
Guidelines for Adult Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery: A Guideline for Healthcare Professionals From the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association
Winstein, C. J., Stein, J., Arena, R., Bates, B., Cherney, L. R., Cramer, S. C., Deruyter, F., Eng, J. J., Fisher, B., Harvey, R. L., et al. (2016) · Stroke · doi:10.1161/str.0000000000000098 · Cited by 3,293
Exercise for depression
Cooney, G. M., Dwan, K., Greig, C. A., Lawlor, D. A., Rimer, J., Waugh, F. R., McMurdo, M., & Mead, G. E. (2013) · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1002/14651858.cd004366.pub6 · Cited by 1,834
Self-citation
Psychoneuroimmunology Meets Neuropsychopharmacology: Translational Implications of the Impact of Inflammation on Behavior
Haroon, E., Raison, C. L., & Miller, A. H. (2012) · Neuropsychopharmacology · doi:10.1038/npp.2011.205 · Cited by 1,000

See all 368

Authors: Mead, G. E., Morley, W., Campbell, P., Greig, C. A., McMurdo, M., & Lawlor, D. A.
Affiliations: Edinburgh Royal Infirmary (GB)
University of Edinburgh (GB)
University of Dundee (GB)
University of Bristol (GB)
ORCID: Mead, Gillian E
Campbell, Paul
Greig, Carolyn A
Lawlor, Debbie A
Venue: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
Published: 2009-07-08
Issue: 3
Pages: CD004366-CD004366
ISSN: 1361-6137 (ISSN-L)
DOI: 10.1002/14651858.cd004366.pub4
OpenAlex: W4211045040
Semantic Scholar: cf8567b35012b31afc3a118a0f152e76ad257625
Cited by: 364
References: 130
Citations by year: 2026: 2 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 18 · 2017: 17 · 2016: 29 · 2015: 32 · 2014: 19 · 2013: 41 · 2012: 54
Type: reference entry
Language: en
Open access: bronze
doi.org
Locations: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Discovery Research Portal (University of Dundee) (publishedVersion)
Discovery Research Portal (University of Dundee) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
University of Birmingham Research Portal (University of Birmingham) (submittedVersion)
Topics: Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Physical Activity and Health
Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology (medical) › Treatment of Major Depression
Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
Keywords: physical activity, depression, exercise therapy, antidepressant effects, cognitive therapy, methodological quality of trials, allocation concealment, intention-to-treat analysis, depressive symptoms, adults with depression, exercise duration, exercise frequency, exercise intensity
MeSH terms: Adult, Depression, Humans, Middle Aged, Exercise, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Treatment Outcome, Young Adult

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Exercise for depression

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