Abstract
Depression is a major public health concern and a global priority for research and development. The role of Physical Activity (PA) in the treatment and prevention of psychiatric disorders (e.g. depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder and age-related cognitive dysfunction) has been developing in recent times with a significant number of quality trials emerging. This paper aims to provide an up-to-date, critical assessment of the epidemiological, clinical trial and a focus of clinical immunological evidence for PA interventions in the treatment and prevention of depression. A review of the literature suggests higher levels of PA and Cardio-Respiratory Fitness (CRF) are associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms, lower incidence of depression and lower levels of inflammation. Clinical trials suggest that aerobic, resistance and mind-body PA types may be therapeutic in the treatment of subsyndromal and major depression, as well as relapse prevention. Clinical neuroscience studies suggest, among other mechanisms, PA may be anti-inflammatory – with PA subtypes having varying anti-inflammatory effects – and this may be associated with clinical efficacy, as well as personalized treatment approaches. This paper proposes an integrated epidemiological, clinical and neuroscience research approach to this field in order to enhance the efficacy of preventive measures in the future.
Highlights
Depression is a major public health concern and a global priority for research and development [1,2]
When conceptualizing approaches in prevention science, the most commonly used models are those of the Institute of Medicine and the World Health Organization’s (WHO) framework of levels of prevention [45,46]
When all 35 studies (1356 participants) comparing exercise with no treatment or a control intervention are examined, the pooled standardized mean differences (SMD) at the end of treatment was -0.62, indicating a moderate clinical effect
Summary
Depression is a major public health concern and a global priority for research and development [1,2]. Depression is a prevalent condition with a 12-month prevalence rate of more than 5% in most high-, middle- and low-income countries [4]. It generates substantial loss of quality of life, morbidity, despair and loss of productivity. Alongside the issue of depression is the global concern regarding physical inactivity and metabolic syndrome [6,7]. Physical inactivity is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide and is thought to have increased in prevalence worldwide due to reducing rates of incidental, transportation-related and occupational PA [6,8]. Physical inactivity and lower fitness levels may increase the risk of depression and depression may increase the risk of physical inactivity [10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
