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Meta-Analysis
. 2023 Mar 15:325:273-281.
doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.12.155. Epub 2023 Jan 10.

Exercise program for the management of anxiety and depression in adults and elderly subjects: Is it applicable to patients with post-covid-19 condition? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Tommaso Piva  1 , Sabrina Masotti  1 , Andrea Raisi  2 , Valentina Zerbini  1 , Giovanni Grazzi  3 , Gianni Mazzoni  4 , Martino Belvederi Murri  5 , Simona Mandini  1
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Exercise program for the management of anxiety and depression in adults and elderly subjects: Is it applicable to patients with post-covid-19 condition? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Tommaso Piva et al. J Affect Disord. .

Abstract

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic had dramatic effect on mental health, causing long-term psychiatricmorbidity. At present, there are no randomized trials reporting the effect of physical exercise on individuals with post- Covid-19 condition are available. The aim of this review was to summarize the evidence regarding the evidence on exercise as a treatment for anxiety and depression symptoms secondary to chronic diseases, which may be generalized to individuals suffering from the post- Covid-19 condition. Trials were included if they reported the effects of physical exercise programs on anxiety or depression symptoms in adults, either healthy or affected by chronic diseases. Outcomes were changes of anxiety or depression severity after an exercise-based intervention. Of the 2161 RCTs identified, eight out of 15 studies were included. Exercise was associated with greater improvements of depressive (SMD = -0.169; 95 % CI -0.302 at -0.003; p = 0.013) and anxiety symptoms (SMD = -0.263, 95 % CI -0.418 at -0.109; p = 0.001), compared with control interventions. Supervised exercise programs were effective against symptoms of anxiety or depression among individuals with chronich illnesses. Pending specific clinical trials, exercise may be considered for adoption among patients with the post Covid-19 condition.

Keywords: Anxiety; Depression; Exercise; Physical activity; Post-Covid-19 condition.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Identification and selection of studies for the review. Adapted from Moher et al. PRISMA, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses; RCT, randomized controlled trial.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Assessment of risk of bias. Adapted from Sterne et al. Revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials (RoB 2).
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Effects of exercise versus control conditions on depressive symptoms, showing Standardized mean difference estimates of effect size with 95 % CIs and relative weight (% weight) for each trial.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Effects of exercise versus control conditions on anxiety symptoms, showing Standardized mean difference estimates of effect size with 95 % CIs and relative weight (% weight) for each trial.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Funnel Plot of effect of physical exercise on anxiety.
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Funnel Plot of effect of physical exercise on depression.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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