Effect of leisure-time physical activity on depression and depressive symptoms in menopausal women: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

AimsMenopausal women often suffer from depression, which impairs their quality of life. Physical activity has been reported to exert beneficial effects on preventing and treating depression. This meta-analysis aims to explore the effect of leisure-time physical activity on determined depression or d...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Rong Liu, Xun Tang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-01-01
Series:Frontiers in Psychiatry
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1480623/full
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1832582036606418944
author Rong Liu
Xun Tang
author_facet Rong Liu
Xun Tang
author_sort Rong Liu
collection DOAJ
description AimsMenopausal women often suffer from depression, which impairs their quality of life. Physical activity has been reported to exert beneficial effects on preventing and treating depression. This meta-analysis aims to explore the effect of leisure-time physical activity on determined depression or depressive symptoms in menopausal women.MethodsRelevant studies were searched from PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, PsycINFO, CINAHL Plus, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), VIP, and WanFang databases. Outcomes were depression or depressive symptoms. Weighted mean difference (WMD) or standard mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was used as the statistical measure. Heterogeneity tests were performed for each outcome, and all outcomes were subjected to sensitivity analysis. Subgroup analysis was performed based on depression degree, exercise intensity, exercise form, intervention duration, supervision, sample size, and geographical region.ResultsA total of 17 studies were included in this meta-analysis. The results showed that exercise alleviated the depressive symptoms of menopausal women (SMD = −1.23; 95% CI, −2.21 to −0.24). In addition, exercise was found to reduce the depression (SMD = 11.45; 95% CI, −1.75 to −1.15), and depression assessed by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) (WMD = −5.76; 95% CI, −6.63 to −4.89) or Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) (WMD = −6.86; 95% CI, −9.24 to −4.49). The results were similar regardless of depression degrees, exercise intensity, intervention duration, exercise form, supervision or not, sample size, and geographical region.ConclusionsLeisure-time physical activity may help alleviate depressive symptoms or depression in menopausal women. However, further high-quality studies are needed to confirm these findings and better understand the specific effects of physical activity on depression in this population.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD42024581087.
format Article
id doaj-art-8615ca47266c47b3bceaca883c8186c8
institution Kabale University
issn 1664-0640
language English
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
record_format Article
series Frontiers in Psychiatry
spelling doaj-art-8615ca47266c47b3bceaca883c8186c82025-01-30T06:22:15ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402025-01-011510.3389/fpsyt.2024.14806231480623Effect of leisure-time physical activity on depression and depressive symptoms in menopausal women: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trialsRong LiuXun TangAimsMenopausal women often suffer from depression, which impairs their quality of life. Physical activity has been reported to exert beneficial effects on preventing and treating depression. This meta-analysis aims to explore the effect of leisure-time physical activity on determined depression or depressive symptoms in menopausal women.MethodsRelevant studies were searched from PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, PsycINFO, CINAHL Plus, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), VIP, and WanFang databases. Outcomes were depression or depressive symptoms. Weighted mean difference (WMD) or standard mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was used as the statistical measure. Heterogeneity tests were performed for each outcome, and all outcomes were subjected to sensitivity analysis. Subgroup analysis was performed based on depression degree, exercise intensity, exercise form, intervention duration, supervision, sample size, and geographical region.ResultsA total of 17 studies were included in this meta-analysis. The results showed that exercise alleviated the depressive symptoms of menopausal women (SMD = −1.23; 95% CI, −2.21 to −0.24). In addition, exercise was found to reduce the depression (SMD = 11.45; 95% CI, −1.75 to −1.15), and depression assessed by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) (WMD = −5.76; 95% CI, −6.63 to −4.89) or Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) (WMD = −6.86; 95% CI, −9.24 to −4.49). The results were similar regardless of depression degrees, exercise intensity, intervention duration, exercise form, supervision or not, sample size, and geographical region.ConclusionsLeisure-time physical activity may help alleviate depressive symptoms or depression in menopausal women. However, further high-quality studies are needed to confirm these findings and better understand the specific effects of physical activity on depression in this population.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD42024581087.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1480623/fullphysical activitydepressive symptomsdepressionmenopausal womendepression degree
spellingShingle Rong Liu
Xun Tang
Effect of leisure-time physical activity on depression and depressive symptoms in menopausal women: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Frontiers in Psychiatry
physical activity
depressive symptoms
depression
menopausal women
depression degree
title Effect of leisure-time physical activity on depression and depressive symptoms in menopausal women: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
title_full Effect of leisure-time physical activity on depression and depressive symptoms in menopausal women: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
title_fullStr Effect of leisure-time physical activity on depression and depressive symptoms in menopausal women: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
title_full_unstemmed Effect of leisure-time physical activity on depression and depressive symptoms in menopausal women: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
title_short Effect of leisure-time physical activity on depression and depressive symptoms in menopausal women: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
title_sort effect of leisure time physical activity on depression and depressive symptoms in menopausal women a systematic review and meta analysis of randomized controlled trials
topic physical activity
depressive symptoms
depression
menopausal women
depression degree
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1480623/full
work_keys_str_mv AT rongliu effectofleisuretimephysicalactivityondepressionanddepressivesymptomsinmenopausalwomenasystematicreviewandmetaanalysisofrandomizedcontrolledtrials
AT xuntang effectofleisuretimephysicalactivityondepressionanddepressivesymptomsinmenopausalwomenasystematicreviewandmetaanalysisofrandomizedcontrolledtrials