Meta-analysis on the chronic effects of exercise on depression in older adults
Introduction This review aimed to investigate the effects of chronic exercise on depression severity and various depressive symptoms in Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) including older adults with an average age of at least 60 years and a minimum level of mild depression. Thereby, the moderating...
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Bern Open Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Current Issues in Sport Science |
| Online Access: | https://ciss-journal.org/article/view/12023 |
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| author | Melanie Mack Claudia Voelcker-Rehage Pinelopi S. Stavrinou Iuliia Pavlova Yaël Netz Burcu Kömürcü Akik Antonia Kaltsatou Sandra Haider Christoforos D. Giannaki Arzu Erden Andreea Badache Michel Audiffren |
| author_facet | Melanie Mack Claudia Voelcker-Rehage Pinelopi S. Stavrinou Iuliia Pavlova Yaël Netz Burcu Kömürcü Akik Antonia Kaltsatou Sandra Haider Christoforos D. Giannaki Arzu Erden Andreea Badache Michel Audiffren |
| author_sort | Melanie Mack |
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Introduction This review aimed to investigate the effects of chronic exercise on depression severity and various depressive symptoms in Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) including older adults with an average age of at least 60 years and a minimum level of mild depression. Thereby, the moderating effects of various intervention and individual characteristics were considered.
Methods We searched Web of Science, Academic Search Complete, MEDLINE, CINAHL, APA Psycinfo, SPORTDiscuss, and Cochrane from inception until July 2023. Primary outcomes targeted changes in overall depression severity assessed with validated depression scales; secondary outcomes included changes in specific symptoms that are related to depression such as sleep quality, fatigue, anxiety, mood, apathy, weight changes, processing speed, and executive functions. These were measured from baseline until the end of the intervention. Meta-analysis was undertaken to synthesize the effects of chronic exercise on primary and secondary outcomes. The moderating effects of intervention and individual characteristics were investigated by subgroup-analyses and meta-regression. Publication bias was addressed through sensitivity analyses. The quality and certainty of the evidence were assessed using GRADE and RoB 2.
Results The comprehensive search yielded 20,700 records, of which 145 peer-reviewed articles including 187 effect sizes met the inclusion criteria. We found that chronic exercise significantly improved overall depression severity (g = -0.68, p < .001, k = 187) as well as depressive symptoms related to anxiety (g = -0.56, p < .001, k = 24), BMI (g = -0.26, p = .005, k = 13), executive functions (g = -0.33, p = .004, k = 18), sleep (g = -0.47, p < .001, k = 14), and processing speed (g = -0.35, p = .015, k = 11). Regarding exercise characteristics, effects were particularly strong for interventions that included exergames, had a long duration, and involved high cognitive demand. Additionally, effects increased with advancing age and higher baseline depression severity. Egger’s test and an asymmetrical funnel plot suggest the presence of publication bias.
Discussion/Conclusion This study is up to date the most extensive review on chronic exercise effects on depression in older adults. The results highlight the importance of individualizing exercise regimens to achieve optimal outcomes. The conclusions drawn may provide a foundation for developing evidence-based recommendations for exercise programs aimed at alleviating depression in older adults.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-75c2e48f464940a4b6f604edc85e5722 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2414-6641 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Bern Open Publishing |
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| series | Current Issues in Sport Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-75c2e48f464940a4b6f604edc85e57222025-02-04T03:15:11ZengBern Open PublishingCurrent Issues in Sport Science2414-66412025-01-0110210.36950/2025.2ciss043Meta-analysis on the chronic effects of exercise on depression in older adultsMelanie Mack0Claudia Voelcker-Rehage1Pinelopi S. Stavrinou2Iuliia Pavlova3Yaël Netz4Burcu Kömürcü Akik5Antonia Kaltsatou6Sandra Haider7Christoforos D. Giannaki8Arzu Erden9Andreea Badache10Michel Audiffren11Centre for the Interdisciplinary Study of Gerontology and Vulnerability, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Neuromotor Behavior and Exercise, Institute of Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Münster, Münster, GermanyDepartment of Neuromotor Behavior and Exercise, Institute of Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Münster, Münster, GermanyDepartment of Life Sciences, University of Nicosia, CyprusDepartment of Theory and Methods of Physical Culture, Lviv State University of Physical Culture, UkraineThe Levinsky-Wingate Academic Center, Israel; Department of Health Promotion and Rehabilitation, Lithuanian Sports University, Kaunas, LithuaniaDepartment of Psychology, Faculty of Languages and History-Geography, Ankara University, TurkeyFunctional Architecture of Mammals in their Environment (FAME) Laboratory, Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, University of Thessaly, GreeceCenter for Public Health, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Life Sciences, University of Nicosia, CyprusFaculty of Health Science, Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, TurkeyDepartment of Disability Research, Örebro University, National Research School on Ageing and Health, SwedenMaison des Sciences de l’Homme et de la Société, Cognition and Learning Research Center, University of Poitiers, CNRS, France Introduction This review aimed to investigate the effects of chronic exercise on depression severity and various depressive symptoms in Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) including older adults with an average age of at least 60 years and a minimum level of mild depression. Thereby, the moderating effects of various intervention and individual characteristics were considered. Methods We searched Web of Science, Academic Search Complete, MEDLINE, CINAHL, APA Psycinfo, SPORTDiscuss, and Cochrane from inception until July 2023. Primary outcomes targeted changes in overall depression severity assessed with validated depression scales; secondary outcomes included changes in specific symptoms that are related to depression such as sleep quality, fatigue, anxiety, mood, apathy, weight changes, processing speed, and executive functions. These were measured from baseline until the end of the intervention. Meta-analysis was undertaken to synthesize the effects of chronic exercise on primary and secondary outcomes. The moderating effects of intervention and individual characteristics were investigated by subgroup-analyses and meta-regression. Publication bias was addressed through sensitivity analyses. The quality and certainty of the evidence were assessed using GRADE and RoB 2. Results The comprehensive search yielded 20,700 records, of which 145 peer-reviewed articles including 187 effect sizes met the inclusion criteria. We found that chronic exercise significantly improved overall depression severity (g = -0.68, p < .001, k = 187) as well as depressive symptoms related to anxiety (g = -0.56, p < .001, k = 24), BMI (g = -0.26, p = .005, k = 13), executive functions (g = -0.33, p = .004, k = 18), sleep (g = -0.47, p < .001, k = 14), and processing speed (g = -0.35, p = .015, k = 11). Regarding exercise characteristics, effects were particularly strong for interventions that included exergames, had a long duration, and involved high cognitive demand. Additionally, effects increased with advancing age and higher baseline depression severity. Egger’s test and an asymmetrical funnel plot suggest the presence of publication bias. Discussion/Conclusion This study is up to date the most extensive review on chronic exercise effects on depression in older adults. The results highlight the importance of individualizing exercise regimens to achieve optimal outcomes. The conclusions drawn may provide a foundation for developing evidence-based recommendations for exercise programs aimed at alleviating depression in older adults. https://ciss-journal.org/article/view/12023 |
| spellingShingle | Melanie Mack Claudia Voelcker-Rehage Pinelopi S. Stavrinou Iuliia Pavlova Yaël Netz Burcu Kömürcü Akik Antonia Kaltsatou Sandra Haider Christoforos D. Giannaki Arzu Erden Andreea Badache Michel Audiffren Meta-analysis on the chronic effects of exercise on depression in older adults Current Issues in Sport Science |
| title | Meta-analysis on the chronic effects of exercise on depression in older adults |
| title_full | Meta-analysis on the chronic effects of exercise on depression in older adults |
| title_fullStr | Meta-analysis on the chronic effects of exercise on depression in older adults |
| title_full_unstemmed | Meta-analysis on the chronic effects of exercise on depression in older adults |
| title_short | Meta-analysis on the chronic effects of exercise on depression in older adults |
| title_sort | meta analysis on the chronic effects of exercise on depression in older adults |
| url | https://ciss-journal.org/article/view/12023 |
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