Barriers and facilitators to physical activity and exercise among adults with depression: A scoping review

Abstract

BackgroundExercise is now recommended as a treatment for depression in Canada. What remains less clear is how best to encourage exercise uptake by individuals with mood disorders. The purpose of this scoping review is to identify barriers and facilitators to exercise and physical activity participation among individuals with depression. MethodA scoping review with systematic searches was conducted. Eligible studies required samples >50% diagnosed with depression or a mood disorder, and reported empirical data on barriers and/or facilitators to physical activity using quantitative and/or qualitative methods. Extracted barriers and facilitators were classified into the fourteen domains of the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). ResultsThirteen studies were included (seven quantitative, six qualitative). The most common barriers were classified under the TDF domains of Emotion, Environmental Context & Resources, Beliefs about Capabilities, and Intentions. The most common facilitators were classified under the domains of Beliefs about Consequences, Social Influences, Emotion and Behavioural Regulation. ConclusionsMost identified domains are all common determinants of health behaviours in various models and theories applied to physical activity participation. However, the Emotion domain appears to be particularly important to individuals with depression, and yet is not covered by these traditional theories of behaviour change, and may be overlooked when trying to promote physical activity among this population. Future research should investigate the effectiveness of behaviour change interventions that specifically target the Emotion domain, and clearly report the behaviour change techniques employed to do so.