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
. 2024 Aug 30;27(10):110844.
doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.110844. eCollection 2024 Oct 18.

Effect of physical activity on anxiety and depression in COVID-19 adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Qingyuan Luo  1 , Peng Lan  1 , YuanZheng Lin  2 , Peng Zhang  3 , Xiujie Ma  1   4
Affiliations

Effect of physical activity on anxiety and depression in COVID-19 adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Qingyuan Luo et al. iScience. .

Abstract

While the benefits of physical activity on mental health are well-known, systematic reviews and meta-analyses on its impact on mental illness in adults with COVID-19 are scarce. This study of 25 randomized controlled trials shows that physical activity significantly reduces anxiety (standardized mean difference [SMD] = -0.915; 95% confidence interval [CI] = -1.182 to -0.648; I2 = 82.0%; p < 0.001) and depression (SMD = -0.752; 95% CI = -1.034 to -0.470; I2 = 81.4%; p < 0.001). Traditional Chinese ethnic sports are notably effective. Interventions under 3 weeks best reduce depression, while 3 ≤ 7 weeks optimally reduce anxiety. Sessions ≤5 times weekly, with 30 ≤ 60 min for anxiety and >60 min for depression, yield the best outcomes. These results highlight the specific effectiveness of physical activity in alleviating anxiety and depression in COVID-19 patients.

Keywords: Health sciences; Medical specialty; Medicine; Psychiatry.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interests.

Figures

None
Graphical abstract
Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow of study selection
Figure 2
Figure 2
Risk of bias ratings
Figure 3
Figure 3
Risk of bias graph
Figure 4
Figure 4
Effects on anxiety disorders
Figure 5
Figure 5
Effects on depression
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard. 2023. https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/covid-19-epidemiological-update-...
    1. Brooks S.K., Webster R.K., Smith L.E., Woodland L., Wessely S., Greenberg N., Rubin G.J. The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: rapid review of the evidence. Lancet. 2020;395:912–920. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30460-8. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Sonza A., da Cunha de Sá-Caputo D., Sartorio A., Tamini S., Seixas A., Sanudo B., Süßenbach J., Provenza M.M., Xavier V.L., Taiar R., Bernardo-Filho M. COVID-19 lockdown and the behavior change on physical exercise, pain and psychological well-being: an international multicentric study. Int. J. Environ. Res. Publ. Health. 2021;18:3810. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Aaltonen K.I., Saarni S., Holi M., Paananen M. The effects of mandatory home quarantine on mental health in a community sample during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nord. J. Psychiatr. 2023;77:65–72. doi: 10.1080/08039488.2022.2061047. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Haider I.I., Tiwana F., Tahir S.M. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adult mental health. Pakistan J. Med. Sci. 2020;36:S90–S94. doi: 10.12669/pjms.36.COVID19-S4.2756. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources