Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Feb 28:26:104.
doi: 10.11604/pamj.2017.26.104.10051. eCollection 2017.

A systematic review of physical activity policy recommendations and interventions for people with mental health problems in Sub-Saharan African countries

Davy Vancampfort  1   2 , Brendon Stubbs  3   4 , Marc De Hert  2 , Christy du Plessis  5 , Caleb Ademola Omuwa Gbiri  6   7 , Jepkemoi Kibet  8 , Nancy Wanyonyi  9 , James Mugisha  10   11
Affiliations

A systematic review of physical activity policy recommendations and interventions for people with mental health problems in Sub-Saharan African countries

Davy Vancampfort et al. Pan Afr Med J. .

Abstract

Introduction: There is a need for interventions to address the escalating mental health burden in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Implementation of physical activity (PA) within the rehabilitation of people with mental health problems (PMHP) could reduce the burden and facilitate recovery. The objective of the current review was to explore (1) the role of PA within mental health policies of SSA countries, and (2) the current research evidence for PA to improve mental health in SSA.

Methods: We screened the Mental Health Atlas and MiNDbank for mental health policies in SSA countries and searched PubMed for relevant studies on PA in PMHP in SSA.

Results: Sixty-nine percent (=33/48) of SSA countries have a dedicated mental health policy. Two of 22 screened mental health policies included broad physical activity recommendations. There is clear evidence for the role of PA in the prevention and rehabilitation of depression in SSA.

Conclusion: Despite the existing evidence, PA is largely a neglected rehabilitation modality in the mental health care systems of SSA. Continued education of existing staff, training of specialized professionals and integration of PA for mental health in public health awareness programs are needed to initiate and improve PA programs within the mental health care systems of SSA.

Keywords: Physical activity; Sub-Sahara Africa; exercise; mental health services.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interest.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Whiteford HA, Degenhardt L, Rehm J, Baxter AJ, Ferrari AJ, Erskine HE, et al. Global burden of disease attributable to mental and substance use disorders: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. The Lancet. 2013;382(9904):1575–1586. - PubMed
    1. Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. The global burden of disease: generating evidence, guiding policy. Seattle, Washington: Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation; 2013.
    1. Charlson FJ, Diminic S, Lund C, Degenhardt L, Whiteford HA. Mental and substance use disorders in sub-Saharan Africa: predictions of epidemiological changes and mental health workforce requirements for the next 40 years. PloS one. 2014;9(10):e110208. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bloom DE, Cafiero E, Jané-Llopis E, Abrahams-Gessel S, Bloom LR, Fathima S, et al. Harvard Program on the Global Demography of Aging. 2012. The global economic burden of noncommunicable diseases.
    1. Vancampfort D, Stubbs B, Mitchell AJ, De Hert M, Wampers M, Ward PB, et al. Risk of metabolic syndrome and its components in people with schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders, bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis. World Psychiatry. 2015;14(3):339–347. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types